50
by ARtheBard
Summary: Just some decompression time for the writer. A little family time for the team and the Prentiss family. And is that Dr. Kendle Manton appearing at the end? Hmm…
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, my latest story is just called "50". Figured the show called their 100th episode "100" so why not? I may not make it that far. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Monday after the team had returned from New York, Garcia hurries down to the bullpen. She knows all the agents are still recovering from the horrors they had seen and read about but none more so than Emily. The stoic profiler still refused to tell anyone everything she had seen on the videos. Garcia can only hope that she had been open with Dr. Westfallen and that the information she is bringing now will help heal her bruised heart.

"Emily! Good news!"

Emily slowly turns to the excited woman. "I could definitely use some."

"The little red-haired boy has been found alive!"

Emily leaps up and grabs Garcia by the shoulders. "You're shitting me!"

Garcia's smile is as wide as it gets. "Nope! He had been found yesterday wandering down the road naked just outside of Tyler, Texas. The local police tried to find his family but no one recognized him. And then when they got him to a local hospital one of the detectives that went to try to talk to him recognized him from the pictures you had us send out. He's been found and they were able to find his parents and he's going to be reunited with them this morning and it's all so really, really good!"

Emily pulls Garcia into a big hug. "Thank GOD! Oh, thank you for telling me, Garcia. I mean, I know that little boy has a long road to recovery ahead of him but, shit, he's alive. YES!"

Garcia nods. "Yeah, one of Cole's agents is on the way to talk to him and the police are working with the little boy to figure out where he came from. If they find the guy that had him it will be one more bastard shut away thanks to your work in that fucking house."

Emily can't help but laugh. "Garcia…you cussed! You're usually so sweet and innocent around the office. Or at least in the bullpen."

"Well, it's pretty much the way I refer to that place everywhere but on official forms."

Emily grins and nods. "Me, too." Emily drops back down into her chair. "I am so happy he has been found. If you hear of a fund or anything, let me know, okay?"

Garcia nods. "You got it, Emster."

The analyst leaves to go back to her office to continue with other cases she is helping with. Emily looks over and smiles at JJ, who had just let her wife and friend have the moment.

"Another one in your win column, Prentiss," JJ tells her.

Emily nods. "Yeah. There were so many. I thought…I thought Victor would be the only one. But if there's one out there maybe there's more. And maybe, just maybe, we'll get lucky again."

"That sort of hope keeps me going when the job gets hard," Reid interjects.

"Me, too," JJ agrees.

Emily nods. "Yeah, the alternative is too hard to accept." She glances up at Rossi's office. "I need to tell Rossi."

She gets up and goes to his office. She taps on his office door and he gestures her in as he finishes a phone call.

"Yes, Detective, we will look into it. I promise if we can give you a profile that will help I will send it to you myself." He listens a moment. "Thank you, that book was a favorite of mine, too. Talk to you soon, Detective." He hangs up and looks at Emily. "I think I should have written my book under an alias. He wants me to look into a series of vegetable robberies for him."

Emily laughs, her eyes getting wide. "Vegetable robberies?"

"Yeah. Small town, lots of people have their own gardens. Someone is stealing watermelons and corn."

Emily laughs some more…and it feels so good. "This morning keeps getting better and better. Well, uh, let me know if you need a hand writing up a profile on a gopher or something."

Rossi rolls his eyes. "Gee. Thanks. So, what did you need?"

"I needed to pass on some news Garcia just gave me." She tells him about the little boy and Rossi smiles broadly.

"That's great, Emily! Another win for you!"

"Another win for us, Rossi. The team took that bastard down. You, especially." The older man's eyes darken. Emily leans forward in her chair. "Rossi…Dave, are you going to tell me why you get all…all broody when you look at me? Are you mad you had to take that shot? Are you mad at…at me about it?"

Rossi stands and closes the door to his office. He then leans against the short filing cabinet under his office window.

"Yes, I am mad. I'm mad you were in the position that made that shot a necessity. I'm mad I killed the bastard and he won't stand trial for what he did to those kids and to you. And I'm mad that I let him get to me." He shrugs. "Hell, maybe we were all close to the edge. But when I saw him…kiss you…and…and touch you I…" he just shakes his head, unable to finish the thought.

Emily looks down at her hands. "I'm sorry, Dave."

He steps towards her. "Hey, now! Don't you dare apologize for any of that! You gave yourself up thinking you were saving another little boy. I have never been more proud of someone in my life, Emily Prentiss. The only person I'm mad at is me." He takes a deep breath. "That's the first time I ever killed a suspect when anger was the driving force behind my actions. He hurt all those little boys. He may not have done it personally but he arranged it and profited off of it. And then he…he threatened to…shit, I couldn't just stand there and hope for a chance to stop that from happening to you. All I could think was I had to stop him before he raped you and killed you."

Emily nods. "Yeah, that was his plan," she says quietly. "Dave, is there anything I can say or do to help you with this?"

Rossi smiles. "No, kid. Trust me when I say I value your life a hell of a lot more than his. This is more about dealing with that dark part inside me we all fight to hide away."

"Why don't you take a vacation? You and Straus? I know this great vineyard in France," she says with a wink.

Rossi slowly smiles. "You know, Emily, I just might take you up on that."

"Say the word. I'll have them open up the manor house for you so you won't even have to stay at the B&B on the property. You'd have it all to yourself."

He chuckles. "You're a hell of a travel agent. Let me talk to Erin and, uh, Aaron. I'll let you know."

Emily stands. "You got it. And, Dave, thank you again for saving my life."

"Anytime, kid…just don't let it happen again."

Emily laughs. "From your mouth to God's ear, right?"

Rossi nods as Emily lets herself out of his office. He waits a moment then decides to go ask a certain section chief about taking a much needed vacation to a vineyard in France.

* * *

Hotch looks around the table at the 10 a.m. meeting. "By now we've all heard that one more little boy taken by Ridgeley's ring has been rescued. Be proud of yourselves, Agents. That was a tough case. I hope you all used the weekend to wash the slime of it off of you." He picks up two folders. "Morgan, Prentiss, you're needed out in Vegas."

Morgan and Emily look at each other and exchange a high five. "SCORE!" they both chant to everyone's amusement.

"Well, if you can stay away from the slots and the free booze you can hopefully testify in the case of the bank robberies you consulted on," Hotch continues.

"The guys who would take a teller and rape her before letting her go?" Emily confirms.

"Yes. Prosecutors need you to explain how you both worked with the police to help them narrow down the suspect pool. You leave Wednesday. Make the reservations today."

"Yes, sir," Emily says as she takes one of the folders. "Any idea how long we'll be there?"

"D.A. says the case may last up to a month but they only think you'll be needed a couple days. Defense may call you back when they present their case but they've been told you'll need at least a day's notice of when they expect to question you. Unlike the Alaska case, no need to stay out there the whole time."

"Thank God. I like the way I'm living. Don't want my wife losing the family fortune," JJ jokes. Emily nudges her good naturedly.

Hotch looks at Reid. "Reid, I want you to take a look at this. Police in several states have a killer with the same M.O. I need a geographic profile of the dump sites, abduction sites, and victims. If it looks like we really are dealing with a serial killer and there is a chance the team can help, we've already been invited in by 3 of the 4 counties involved. If it proves to be interstate we'll steamroll over the fourth county if we need to. Let me know what to do."

Reid nods. "Alright," he says as he takes the accordion file.

"JJ, Rossi, I'd like you to conduct two prisoner interviews. Both are in North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh. The first is in for armed robbery homicide. The second is in for killing her husband and his girlfriend."

JJ rolls her eyes. "Sounds understandable."

Emily looks over at her. "Again, I'm reminded you are a scary little woman."

JJ never looks up from the information Hotch had handed her. "And you best never forget that, Prentiss."

The team grins as Emily does look slightly nervous.

Hotch continues. "These are the case summaries. Plan to fly down tomorrow and look through all the evidence and the full trial transcripts. You can interview one on Wednesday and the other on Thursday."

"Our choice who goes first?" Rossi confirms.

"Yes but make sure to let the warden know before 5 tomorrow so arrangements can be made," Hotch answers.

"Will do."

Hotch finally looks at Garcia. "Now that those are handed out, what files do you have for us, Garcia?"

Garcia hands out the cases she had culled and separated out for each agent. Morgan notices he has two cases Emily would normally handle. He doesn't say anything, knowing Garcia is just trying to give her friend a break after the Long Island case.

"Okay, so does anyone have anything for the team?" No one does. "In that case, have a good week. For those hitting the road, please get me your itineraries as soon as you have them. Dismissed," Hotch says as he stands.

As everyone stands to leave, Morgan grabs Garcia's arm. "Hey, Baby Girl, wait a second." Once they are alone, he gestures to the two files. "I get why you gave these to me but don't start coddling her. You know she'll be pissed."

Garcia's shoulders sag. "I know. But…Morgan…just a couple days. Let her go a couple days without seeing the bad and evil things people do to kids. Please?"

Morgan kisses her on the forehead. "Okay. You are a good woman, Penelope Garcia. No matter what others might say," he says as he leaves the room.

"Aw, thanks." Then she frowns. "Hey! Wait! What do you mean no matter what- -Derek Morgan get your sexy ass back here!"

She chases the laughing man down the hall.

* * *

Rossi follows Hotch back to the unit chief's office. He leans against the doorframe as Hotch moves to his desk.

"So, think they've figured it out yet?"

Hotch looks at his mentor questioningly. "Figured what out?"

Rossi moves to stand in front of the desk. He gives a cocky grin. "You send JJ out on a dual inmate visit; pretty easy ones, too. You send Prentiss and Morgan off together. You have Reid solving a puzzle. And you let Garcia slide a couple cases to Morgan and give Prentiss some simple ones to make the analyst feel like she's helping Emily."

"And what did I do for you, if you're so smart?"

Rossi smiles. "I get to mentor a young profiler while softballing a couple of questionnaires. The question is: what did you do for yourself to help you get past the shit we dealt with on Long Island?"

Hotch sits back in his chair and smiles. "I sent you and JJ out on a pretty easy inmate visit, I sent Morgan and Prentiss to Vegas, I gave Reid a puzzle to solve, and I let Garcia send some easy cases to Emily while sending kid-centric cases to Morgan. Granted, the Vegas thing was just a lucky coincidence," he finishes with a shrug.

Rossi laughs. "Well played, Aaron. Well played."

Hotch just nods smugly as Rossi heads back to his own office to read over the information on the inmates he and JJ would be interviewing.


	2. Chapter 2

JJ is making a horrible face as she drives. Emily chuckles.

"Uh, can you even see out of your squinty eyes?"

"Yes, I can. I just…Rossi and Straus…at the vineyard. Don't we run the risk of her turning the wine to vinegar? Or, even worse, planting more of her pods there and taking over the whole place?"

Emily laughs. "Jen, she's been good to us for a long time. And I really think Rossi needs a real vacation. And if he has someone to spend it with even better for him."

JJ glances at her wife then back to Route 1. "He still struggling with the shooting?"

"Sort of. More the feelings involved in it. He said it was the first time his anger overrode all his other emotions. He's working through it." Emily pats JJ's leg. "I told him I was sorry but he said he didn't need an apology from me. He's not mad at me just at himself. I told him anything he needs I'll be there for him."

JJ rubs the hand on her thigh. "You're like a daughter to him. Always have been. Guess his fatherly gene really kicked in when he saw you like that. Thank God it did."

Emily looks over at the emotion in her wife's voice. "Jennifer…"

"There was nothing we could do that I could see. We didn't have the ledger. We didn't have our guns. He'd have driven off with you, Emily. And he…shit…"

Emily squeezes her wife's leg. "Yeah. But he didn't. Just concentrate on that." She lifts her wife's hand and gives it a kiss. "We all came home, Jen. We all came home."

"Yeah, we did."

Further discussion about the case ends as JJ pulls into the driveway. She turns to her wife. "No more of that case in the house, agreed?"

Emily smiles and leans across the armrest to kiss her wife. "Agreed. Now, how about we go see the two cutest kids in the world, Mrs. Prentiss?"

"Perfect idea, Mrs. Prentiss."

The two women walk in the door to hear.

"NOOOOOOOOO! NO! NO! NO!" accompanied by the sounds of tiny stamping feet.

Emily looks at JJ. "On second thought, how about I take you out to dinner before they realize we're here?"

JJ just laughs and follows the sound of screaming into the kitchen. They see Henry drop to his knees on the floor, adamant he is NOT going to do something.

"Henry Alan LaMontagne, what is this tantrum about?" JJ demands.

He jumps up and runs to her. "MOMMY! No eat beans!"

"Since when do you not eat beans, Henry?" JJ asks him.

"No like. No eat! NOOOOO!" he insists with a screech.

"Henry, get your backside back up in your chair. You _will_ eat your beans or you will not get a story and lullaby before bedtime, right Mama." Emily doesn't answer. JJ turns to her. "Mama?"

Emily looks stricken. "I, uh, phone…got to…be back…"

She hurries out of the room pretending to answer her work phone. JJ just rolls her eyes and turns back to Henry. She points at his booster seat.

"Go."

Henry turns and stomps towards his seat. He climbs up and puts his belt on. He then plants both his elbows on the table and proceeds to pout not eat. JJ walks over and puts a bean on his fork.

"Open."

"NO!" he says, turning his head.

"Don't let me get to three. One. Two. Thr- -"

Henry grabs a bean with his hand and shoves it in his mouth. JJ nods.

"Okay. Now eat the rest and you can get down."

Henry whines. "But no LIKE!"

"EAT! That is an order, Henry!" She turns to Francesca. "Hi."

Francesca shakes her head. "I am sorry you came home to this, cara."

"I'm sorry you had to put up with it. From now on, if he doesn't eat his vegetables, no desserts or special treats."

"As you wish, cara."

"NO! MOMMY NO!"

JJ turns back to him. "EAT!"

Henry begrudgingly eats another bean. JJ turns to Francesca.

"Let me check on Emily. Be back in a moment."

Francesca nods as JJ makes her way out of the kitchen. She finds Emily in the activity room staring out the window over the back deck.

"Emily, what the hell was that about? I needed you to back me and you- -"

Her words break off as Emily turns, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer."

JJ steps to her. "Emily, oh baby, what's wrong?"

Emily welcomes her wife's embrace. It takes a couple of minutes before Emily can reply.

"I'm sorry, Jen. I promised you I'd never undermine your authority with the kids. But he looked…shit…and that scream….fuck…there was…he had…"

JJ gets it. "Henry suddenly reminded you of one of the kids in the DVD's, didn't he?" Emily can only nod against her wife's shoulder. "Oh, Emily, I'm sorry."

"I couldn't scold him. I couldn't even watch you scold him. It made me sick to the stomach. I had to get out of there. I am so, so sorry."

"No, it's okay. I know things are still raw for you after last week. Thank you for walking out instead of undermining me. I can imagine all you wanted to do was pick him up and love on him."

"Yeah, I did." Emily smiles through her tears. "Figured that would send a bit of a mixed message."

"Yeah, just a little one. So, you ready to go back?"

"He still having a tantrum?"

"He was reluctantly eating his beans. Em, if you need to sit this out tonight I understand. But he's in his terrible two's. We're going to have many more of these nights with him and, baby, Rocky will hit them, too."

Emily nods. "Yeah, I know. I'll be okay eventually, Jen. I guess it's just too new right now still. I didn't realize how bad it was until he…he screamed…'No'."

JJ pulls Emily close as the brunette starts to quietly cry once more. "It's okay, Em. It's okay, sweetheart." She leans back. "How about you sit here and I'll deal with Henry, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, honey. I love you."

JJ gives her a kiss. "I love you, too."

Emily drops down on the couch, kicking herself for being such a wimp as a parent. A few minutes later she hears someone walk in.

"There's Mama!"

"MAMA!"

Emily smiles as Rocky bounces excitedly in Francesca's arms. She reaches out for her daughter.

"Where's my girl?"

Emily pulls her close, smothering her face with kisses. Francesca runs a hand through Emily's hair.

"Tutto bene?" Francesca asks.*

Emily smiles up at her. "Come arrivare."**

Francesca leans over and kisses the top of Emily's head. "Si Rocky's l'amore portano dalle tenebre."***

Emily smiles, rubbing her forehead against her daughters. "LO farò. Promessa."****

Francesca nods. "Good girl. Sleep well, cara." She tickles Rocky. "You, too, bambina."

Rocky gives Francesca a hug and kiss. Emily kisses the woman's cheek as she goes through the door that leads up to her apartment. Emily turns back to Rocky.

"So, Rock, your Mama is having a bit of a rough time. Think you can help me out?"

"NO!" she answers happily.

Earlier, hearing her son scream "no" had sent Emily to a dark place. But hearing her daughter say a new word sends her to a much happier place.

"Rock! Did you tell me no? Did you?"

"NO! Mama! No!"

"You did! You said no! Maybe not nice the way you used it but I'll take it." She gives her daughter a big kiss on the cheek. "I love you so much, sweet girl."

"No!"

Emily chuckles. "Oh, yes, I do, young lady."

"No!" Rocky may not understand what she's saying but she does know it makes her Mama happy. And sometimes that's all that matters.

A little later Rocky is asleep in her Mama's arms as Emily hears running feet. Henry races into the activity room and then scrambles up on the couch, cuddling up to her. Emily takes a deep breath, knowing she has to be a parent right now.

"Did you eat your beans, Henry?"

Henry sighs. "Si, Mama."

She gives him a hug. "Good boy. I'm proud of you for listening to your Mommy."

"Mama…hate beans," he explains.

"You liked them last week," Emily points out.

Henry shrugs. "Hate beans."

"Okay. What if there was broccoli or spinach instead?"

Henry nods. "'Kay, Mama."

"Alright, I'll talk to Aunt Franny about making something other than beans for you. But if you suddenly don't like something you have to tell her before dinner, okay?"

He nods. "'Kay, Mama."

She kisses him on top of the head. "Good boy. I love you, Henry. I want you to grow up big and strong and safe." Her voice chokes up a bit. She takes a quick breath. "So you eat your vegetables, okay?" she quickly finishes.

Henry is looking up at her. He can see she is upset. He pats her arm, worry in his big blue eyes. "Mama…Henry eat beans. You happy."

Emily hugs him close. "You make me happy, Henry. And you don't have to eat beans right now. We'll find something new. I promise."

He nods, still patting her arm. "'Kay, Mama." He kisses her arm, doing the only thing he can think to do to make his Mama better. "Boo, Mama, boo."

Emily smiles and kisses him again. "All better, Henry. Thank you, Champ."

From the doorway JJ just watches and smiles. Emily struck the right deal with their upset son. And in return, he helped put a smile back on her face.

* * *

After the kids are in bed and their own dinners eaten, Emily and JJ go up to their room to pack for their upcoming trips. As she packs, Emily looks at JJ and smiles.

"I forgot to tell you: Rocky has a new word."

JJ looks over happily. "Great! What word?"

"No."

JJ stops her packing and looks at her wife. "No? Oh, boy, now things get interesting."

"Yeah, I know. It's crazy: Henry was saying no 15 minutes earlier and I was ready to jump off a cliff. Then Rocky says it and I'm over the moon."

JJ smiles. "Emily, I think the way it was said probably has a lot to do with the swing in your emotions." She walks over and takes her wife's hands. "I heard you talking to Henry about alternative vegetables. You are an incredible mother, Emily. Don't let what you saw up there steal that away from you."

Emily kisses JJ's forehead. "I won't. I'm not sure I'm completely past it but…but I'm better. I'll be okay with them tomorrow when you're gone. If he's having a tantrum I will handle it. I promise."

"I know you will, Em. Walking away tonight was the right thing to do. We can't send mixed signals and you avoided that. Then you were able to get him to talk to you and come up with a solution to the problem. I got him to eat his vegetables tonight. You got his commitment to eat them in the future. All in all I think it was a pretty damn good tag team parenting success."

Emily smiles. "Yeah, I guess it was." They share a quick kiss. "So, out of curiosity, you excited about finally getting your time alone with Rossi since you were cheated out of it in Hartford?"

JJ starts to laugh. "Hey, I never thought of that. Maybe by the end of our trip he'll want to take me to France instead of Straus."

Emily nods. "True. Guess I'll have to be Straus' shoulder to cry on and her bed warmer."

JJ blanches. "Ew! Oh, that joke of mine backfired. Oh, I think that made me a little ill."

Emily laughs and sits down on the bed, pulling JJ to between her legs. She stares up at her wife.

"No one but you, Jennifer. Forever."

JJ leans over and kisses her wife. "Ditto, Emily. Not even the great David Rossi can sway my heart."

Emily smiles. "Good to know." She runs her hands up under JJ's shirt. "Very, very good."

JJ shivers. "Em, I have to pack. I leave tomorrow."

Emily lifts her wife's shirt, glad to see no bra hides the perfect breasts below. She sucks a hard nipple into her mouth.

"Ungh…Em…seriously…gotta pack…I gotta…oh, that feels so good," JJ moans as Emily sucks one breast and toys with the other. "Em…I…I…

Emily slides down onto the floor, her free hand tugging down the gym shorts JJ wears. JJ loses the ability to speak as Emily kisses her warm center through silk underwear.

"Oh, oh…oh so…oh…" is all JJ can manage as Emily slides a finger along the seam where leg meets torso. She runs that finger between her wife's legs, pressing up against the cloth and feeling the hard clit hidden behind the silk.

"So ready for me, Jennifer," Emily whispers.

"Ye…ye…ye…" JJ agrees as best she can.

Emily slowly slides the panties down. As soon as the restrictive clothing is gone, JJ spreads her legs. Emily slides between them, her mouth seeking out the jewel nestled in the golden curls. JJ's fingers are tangled in Emily's hair as she rides the brunette's face.

"Oh, Em! Oh! Oh! OH!"

Emily is still toying with one breast as her mouth drives her wife. This allows her to bring her other hand up and thrust deep into her wife.

"OH! YES!"

Emily sucks harder as she pushes three fingers…four fingers…and finally her entire fist up into her wife.

"YES! EMILY!"

JJ's legs give out as she comes. She falls over top of Emily onto the bed. Emily winces as it twists her wrist painfully. She carefully turns and slides her hand from her wife, cradling her arm to her body. She crawls up on the bed and kisses the back of JJ's neck.

"I love you, Jennifer Prentiss…but I think you just sprained my wrist."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, right."

"Um, Jen…not kidding," Emily says.

JJ rolls over and stares at her wife. "Are…are you serious?" Emily nods and JJ can see the pain she is in. She quickly sits up. "Holy crap! Let me get you an ice pack and I think we have an ace wrap."

"If we don't we're fools considering how many injuries we have each year," Emily says with a grimace.

Within 15 minutes Emily's wrist is purple and the ice is just barely keeping the swelling down. JJ rubs her wife's leg.

"You sure you don't want me to go get one? I can just run out to Walmart or something?"

"No, it will be okay."

JJ eases the ice pack away. "Emily, look at it."

Emily does. She starts to argue again but stops. "Well, maybe it won't be a bad idea."

"I'll go get one of those braces they sell. Can you get your pajamas on?"

Emily nods. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I need to finish packing. Want me to pack for you, too?"

"No, I'll get it when I get back." JJ can't help but smile at her wife. "You know, I'm not sure I've ever had a sex injury before. Don't think I've ever given one, either."

Emily smiles. "Maybe not sex injuries but you broke a million hearts when you agreed to marry me."

JJ grins and gives her a kiss. "Charmer."

"Yep."

JJ stands and pulls on some clothes. "I'll go now and be back in about hour. I love you, Em."

"I love you, too. And, Jen, if Morgan finds out how this really happened we'll never hear the end of it."

JJ bursts out laughing. "True. And I better not tell Pen, either."

Emily laughs. "VERY true! How about I tripped on a kid's toy and threw my hand out to catch myself?"

JJ nods. "Perfect. See you in a little while, baby. Love you."

"Love you, too, Jen."

Emily leans back on the bed, hoping the ice and Aleve kick in soon. Her wrist is KILLING her! And in some ways…she's pretty damn proud of herself about it.

* * *

**Per Babylon Translator:**

***Are you okay?**

**** Getting there.**

***** Let Rocky's love lead you from the darkness."**

****** I will. Promise.**


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Lara Westfallen smiles at Emily as the profiler starts to pace.

"So, are you feeling any better this week?" Westfallen asks.

Emily shrugs. "Maybe a little. Spoiling the kids all weekend did more for me than I would have ever imagined. A few years ago I'd have just downed a bottle or two of whiskey to obliterate my mind. Might have called one of my 'friends with benefits' and hoped to forget the hell with sex." She stops pacing and stares at the wall. "But this weekend made me feel so much better and I didn't have a single drink."

Westfallen nods. "Good. And the sex?"

"No, no sex." She turns to the doctor. "We made love. More to the point, Jen made love to me. I'm not sure I've ever felt so…so…"

"Vulnerable?" Westfallen supplies.

Emily thinks about it a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I think that's the word. I mean, there have been other times I needed to make love to Jen or have her make love to me but not like…like this. It was like I had to rediscover what real love was; like I had to be reminded that screams of terror aren't a normal part of the act of sex. It was even better than the night in the hotel."

Westfallen shakes her head. "I can't even imagine what it was like to watch those videos. Has there been any other fall-out from that part of the case?"

Emily sits on the arm of the sofa. "How did you know?" she asks quietly.

Westfallen shrugs. "Just a guess."

"Henry was having a tantrum last night about, of all dumb things, eating green beans. He…he screamed. It was a horrid screech. And suddenly he was…was a boy in those…shit…" Emily scrubs her hands over her face. "I had to leave the room. Instead of standing with Jen to discipline her son I ran from the room."

Westfallen raises an eyebrow. "Her son?"

Emily looks at her in confusion. "What?"

"You said 'her son' as if he's not yours anymore."

Emily thinks about it a moment then stands and starts to pace again. "Shit. Where the hell did that come from?"

"Guilt," Westfallen answers simply.

Emily frowns. "Guilt? What guilt?"

"You said you ran from the room. You left him when he needed you; you left Jen when she needed you."

"Shit…I guess I did."

"Tell me, Emily, what happened after the tantrum ended?"

"I was…in the activity room. Rocky was sleeping in my arms when Henry came running in. I just talked to him," Emily finishes with a shrug.

"What did you talk about?"

"Does it matter?"

"I think it does."

Emily rolls her eyes. "I just told him if he suddenly doesn't like something he has to tell Francesca before dinner. And then I got him to say he'd eat broccoli or spinach instead of beans."

"And whose son was he at that time?"

Emily stops pacing, staring off into her memories. She smiles. "He was mine. He was…was ours." She turns and looks at Westfallen. "He is ours, Doc. He is mine as if I had carried him myself. And if anyone dared touch him, dared hurt him…I could kill them without a second thought."

Westfallen nods. "As most mothers would to protect their child."

"But there's a new anger in me, Doc. It…it sort of scares me. It first appeared when Mitchell Reese had Derek. And it just seems to be getting worse. Right now I seem to be controlling it. But I'm terrified it will eventually overpower me and…and I will act on it."

Westfallen nods. "Then let's figure out a way to take control of that anger, Emily."

For the rest of the session they discuss Emily's fears and her anger. By the time she leaves Emily feels a little better but recognizes she has a long way to go. As she drives to the office she thinks things over.

"_Good thing nothing is pressing right now. Even the cases on my desk are…_"

And it hits her. She can't help but smile and she mumbles to herself.

"Aaron Hotchner and Penelope Garcia, you two are amazing. Well played, both of you."

* * *

When Emily gets in she starts her computer and starts to flip through the mail sitting on her desk. Satisfied nothing is too important, she makes her way to the lair of the Oracle of Quantico. She slips quietly through the open door.

"Oh, I know you are in there somewhere, you missing byte of data, and if you don't show yourself I will delete you so utterly and permanently your grandbytes won't even know you existed," Garcia mumbles at her computer.

Emily grins and shakes her head. Her friend is adorable. "Hi."

"OH MY GOD!" Garcia squeals, leaping in her seat.

Emily bursts out laughing. "Uh, sorry."

"How the hell do you walk in those heels and make NO noise! It's not only scary as hell it should be impossible!"

Emily leans against the desk. "Mother taught me children should be seen and not heard, especially when walking around an embassy where important meetings may be happening."

"Well, you can tell Elizabeth her lessons were well learned and last until this day."

Emily chuckles. "I'll pass it on."

"Good." Garcia takes a calming breath. "So, are you here just to test my cardiac muscle or do you need something?"

"Actually I came by to thank you, Pen," Emily says seriously. "It dawned on me today why you gave me the cases you did. And why you gave certain ones to Morgan."

Garcia blushes. "You…you figured it out?"

Emily nods. "Yeah, I did. Truth is, I should have realized immediately but I was so damn happy not to have to read about kids being…well, whatever was happening to them, I was just glad it was Morgan not me." She grins. "Didn't stop to think that those cases weren't his usual consults."

"I'm glad you're not mad at me. Morgan warned me against coddling you and I swear, Em, that's not what it is. I just…I hated the look in your eyes that whole damn case. I just wanted to give you a few days to get back to normal again."

"I know, Pen. I really do appreciate it." She glances at her watch. "Well, I need to go. Have my follow up with the Bureau shrink. I guess he wanted to make sure I survived the weekend."

Garcia smiles. "He should have known you'd be fine. You're Emily."

Emily laughs. "Yeah, well, 'Emily' has a few cracks in her armor right now. But she's healing."

"We know. We're all here for you, Em, no matter the time or what you need."

Emily pats her on the shoulder. "I know, Pen. Trust me when I say the love and support of this team are part of the reasons I'm not curled up in the fetal position blubbering."

"Only part of the reason?"

Emily smiles. "Yep. The other part is the two cutest kids in the world." Emily slowly shakes her head, her eyes darkening. "I swear, Pen, anyone ever hurts them…ever even tries…"

Garcia nods. "I know. I'll be right there with you. So will the whole team."

Emily nods. "I know." She stands and squeezes Garcia's shoulder. "Thanks again, Garcia. Remind me to buy you something pretty."

Garcia grins. "Yay! How about I drag you to Tyson's Corner and you just pick up the bill!"

Emily laughs. "That could be dangerous but, what the hell, sure. If we're in town Saturday we can all go shopping."

Garcia jumps up and gives Emily a big hug. "Yay for me! Remind me to slide you some easy cases more often."

Emily nods and leaves to go (hopefully) get cleared back to full duty.

* * *

Rossi glances over at JJ as she looks through her briefcase once more. "Problem, JJ?"

JJ shrugs. "I don't know. I feel like I've forgotten something important. I have the case summaries Hotch gave us, the notes I made last night, I have the cases Garcia gave me yesterday. What could I be missing?"

Rossi grins. "Gun and badge?"

JJ rolls her eyes. "Funny. Well, if it's something important hopefully I can pick it up later or get it faxed to me if it's for a case."

"Exactly. So, what are you thinking so far on whom to talk to first?" Rossi asks.

JJ sits back in her seat and glances out the window to gather her thoughts. She stares at the clouds below them but is seeing the notes she had made last night. Finally she feels confident enough to answer the senior agent.

"Obviously we need to see more about the cases and about how the inmates are doing now, but I think Veronica Lindy would be the one most likely to be honest with us. It was a pretty cut and dried case: she caught her husband in bed with another woman and shot them both in a fit of rage."

"Or was it a fit of rage?" Rossi poses.

JJ shrugs. "Depends on if you believe the shrink for the defense or the prosecution. Either way, her answers and our evaluation of her will help add to our database of women who supposedly just snap."

"You thinking there was more going on in her head?"

JJ bites her lip a minute. "If I walked in on Emily and someone, I would be furious. But I don't think I'd just immediately grab a gun and kill them. I'd want to know why; I'd want to know how she could do it to me and the kids but I wouldn't just kill them. There has to be a short fuse and that final spark is catching them in the act. That's what sets off the explosion."

Rossi nods. "Good points. What about the robber?"

JJ sighs. "This is going to sound defeatist and I hope I'm wrong, but from what I saw she felt the world was against her and the robbery was to get things she felt entitled to, regardless of who owned the things. Why work for stuff when you can just steal it, right?"

Rossi grins. "Does sound easier."

"I think she'll be confrontational and difficult. We won't learn much from her. I'd rather take time with Lindy first so if we need to go into a second day we can." JJ looks over at Rossi. "Am I right?"

Rossi grins. "Sounds right to me based on what I read. JJ, you're instincts on these things is great, don't doubt that."

"I don't. I just want to make sure I get my point across so you can sign off on my final rookie evaluation."

Rossi laughs. "Hotch was wondering if you'd figure that out."

JJ nods. "Yes, I know it's time for that. Of course, if you all decide to wash me out of the BAU I heard Agent Turner is looking for a new position."

Rossi groans. "Unless it's as a sparring dummy I don't think Hotch will be hiring him any time soon."

JJ laughs. "Good."

"So, now that work is out of the way, how's Emily really doing?"

JJ shrugs. "Better than last week. Over the weekend she really did just spoil the kids. Pretty much anything that would make them smile, laugh, just be happy in general she did. I think more than anything she just needed to avoid another tantrum from Henry. It's too hard to hear him scream 'No' right now. It takes her back to those videos."

"Well, I'm no expert but I doubt one weekend of spoiling will prove to be a long-term problem," he says with a smile.

JJ grins. "It helped heal their mama. I'd say any short-term issues it causes will be well worth it." She pats his arm. "What about you?"

Rossi shrugs. "I'm fine. Mostly. Just hit me hard because of how long I've been in the Bureau and that was a first for me."

"Rossi…Dave, if you hadn't done that, she'd be dead. He would have given up on the ledger and just run." She shudders. "And you know what would have happened if he had gotten away with her. Even if…if she had lived through it…she'd have been irrevocably changed for the worst mentally. Yes, maybe you were angry but that doesn't change the fact that you did what was needed to rescue Emily and stop that bastard."

He smiles and taps his fist on her leg gently. "Thanks, kid. I knew that but I think you said it better than I did or Erin did."

JJ nods. "I'm glad. So, any word on a French vacation?"

Rossi smiles, and JJ is amused at the twinkle in his eye. "Yes, there is. We're aiming for the end of September. After Labor Day but before Halloween which is always a bit of a lull for us."

JJ grins. "Good. It may be a bit…weird that you're with her but I'm happy for you, Dave."

"Thanks. I'm not sure either of us ever wants to marry again but we enjoy spending time together and we both get the hell of the job. It works for us."

"Then that's all that matter. Don't worry about anything else."

He smiles and nods. "I think I'll take that advice."

"Smart man…for an old fart," she says with a wink.

He laughs and shakes his head. They spend the rest of the flight talking about things to do in and around the vineyard in France. It is a nice, relaxing way to spend the flight.

* * *

Emily has just finished packing for the Vegas trip when her phone rings. She smiles and sits down in the recliner.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Don't you 'sweetheart' me, woman," JJ retorts.

Emily frowns. "Um…what?"

"You distracted me last night. I may never speak to you again."

Emily thinks for a second but is completely baffled. "Jen, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I was packing my bags for this trip and you decided my body was too luscious to leave alone. And then you go and get injured during sex so I have to run out to the store. So, it's all your fault."

Emily now hears the amusement in her wife's voice. "Um, what exactly is it that I distracted you from?"

"I forgot to pack underwear."

Emily blurts out a laugh. "Oh! Oh, that's funny!"

"It is NOT funny. I just had to go get the keys from Rossi so I could run to Walmart. Thank goodness I decided to get my clothes ready tonight and not just deal with them in the morning. I don't think going commando in a women's prison would be wise."

Emily, still chuckling, agrees. "You're right about that." Emily sobers a bit. "I guess I'm a little sorry you forgot your undies. But I'm not sorry about the reason you were distracted. I just feel so…needy the past few days. Thank you for understanding what I need, baby."

JJ relaxes back on her hotel bed. "You don't have to thank me for that, Em. You are there for me when I need you and I'm here for you. How many times did I need you to hold me after the Alexandria case? We're a hell of a team, Mrs. Prentiss."

Emily sighs. "You can say that again, Mrs. Prentiss. I love you so much."

"I love you, too. So, are you packed yet?"

"Finished just before you called. Of course, I'm going to double check that I have underwear after this call."

JJ laughs. "Good idea." She glances at the clock. "Well, I hate to do this but I have some notes to type up for tomorrow."

"Interviewing Lindy first still?"

"Yes. Rossi and I both think she'll give us more useful information than Clarissa Simedian. Did you and Morgan upgrade to first class?"

"Of course we did. You know there are few splurges I insist on. Leg and arm room are two of those things."

JJ laughs. "Yes, Mrs. Prentiss, I know. Good luck with the lawyers tomorrow."

"Thanks. Good luck with the convicts. Hmmm…why do I feel like you will have the better, less frustrating conversations?"

"Aw, not all lawyers are bad. Just most of them."

"Riiiight," Emily drawls with a grin. "Sleep well, Mrs. Prentiss."

"You, too, Mrs. Prentiss. And, Emily, if you need me, just call. I don't care what time it is."

"I know, Jen. Thank you. I love you."

"Love you, too. Goodnight."

"Night, baby."

Emily hangs up and stares out the window across the backyard. What are the odds that she'll make it through the night without the nightmares that had plagued her since they got to Long Island?

She stands and goes down to Henry's room. She smiles and tucks him back in, sliding Bear-Bear into his arms. She ruffles Alaska's fur as the dog sleeps beside his young master. She gives Henry a kiss on the head.

"Love you, Champ," she whispers.

She next checks in on Rocky. The little girl is again sleeping with her hands tucked under her and her little bumble up in the air.

"So cute, Rocky," Emily whispers.

She strokes her hand over her daughter's dark curls, smiling as the little one coos and grins in her sleep.

"My little love bug. I love you, Rocky."

Tucking her in once more, Emily goes back to her bedroom. Sergio is sitting on the bed staring at her. She sits down beside him and starts to scratch his head.

"They are safe, Sergio. Not a damn thing to be scared of. They are safe and nothing is going to change that. Not if I can help it."

She gives him a kiss before getting ready for bed. She had an early, long flight in the morning. She grins.

"And most likely a late night out with Derek. Las Vegas here we come."

With a smile on her face she crawls under the covers. Time was healing the wound on her heart along with the physical bruises on her body.


	4. Chapter 4

JJ smiles kindly at the woman that sits down across from her and Rossi. "Veronica Lindy, I am Jennifer Jareau, this is David Rossi. Thank you for speaking with us today."

Veronica shrugs. "My lawyer thought it might help me when I come up for parole."

"And when will that be?" JJ asks.

Veronica grins. "If I'm lucky, ten years. Just figured why wait? May as well talk this out when it's still…fresh in my head, I guess."

JJ nods. "I understand. We appreciate your openness as we proceed through the questions. If at any time you wish to stop, that is your right. Please remember anything you tell us will be available for law enforcement and attorney's to view."

Veronica nods. "I know. This is the only thing in my life they'd be interested in and since the trial's over not much more they can do to me, right?"

JJ nods. "Correct. This cannot affect the sentence that has already been handed down for these murders."

"Good."

JJ opens the folder in front of her. "Now, to start, let's talk a bit about your childhood."

By the time they take a required break for lunch at 11:30, JJ and Rossi had heard the tale of a woman who had grown up in a household similar to JJ's. As the inmate is escorted away, JJ looks at Rossi.

"Okay, I know I haven't been doing this as long as you but are you seeing double-murderer in the making here?"

Rossi frowns and shakes his head. "No, I'm not."

"So either her college years and the 6 years after were horrendous or we're being played. But to what end?"

Rossi sits back, considering that. "She said she's not up for parole consideration for 10 years. Are we sure that's true?"

JJ raises an eyebrow. "I think we need to speak with the warden. And maybe have Garcia do some checking to see if there's any reason Lindy would want this story on record."

"Good idea."

The two agents go to the warden's office where they confirm it would be 10 years before Lindy would qualify to appear before the parole board. As they eat their lunch in the warden's conference room, JJ calls Garcia.

"Garcia, you're on speaker."

"What's up, Jayje and Rossi?"

Rossi lays out their concerns. The agents hear the analyst immediately start typing. "Okay, Veronica Lindy, convicted of murdering her husband and his girlfriend when she caught them in bed."

"Are her appeals still open?"

"Her lawyer has submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court claiming her civil rights were violated and the convictions should be thrown out because of it."

"Can you see what those rights were?" JJ asks.

Garcia types some more. "Uh…she was denied proper counsel. Ah, okay, the lawyer who defended her was later disbarred for demanding sex for better representation. No evidence he made that deal with Lindy so maybe she's just upset she didn't get the chance."

"So if he was disbarred, why didn't the state take another look at her case?" JJ asks Rossi.

The older man shrugs. "It's like Garcia said, there was no evidence in her case that he ever made that offer to her. It wouldn't have been a factor in her case."

JJ thinks a second. "Garcia, is there anything in Lindy's life or her husband's life that would lead you to think she could snap at some point and kill him?"

"Nothing. No domestic violence calls. No arrests. Nothing I can see that would have hinted she's a time bomb wait to explode."

Rossi shakes his head. "So far this isn't making sense." He leans onto the table. "Garcia, we were told we saw all the case files yesterday. Do me a favor? Make sure that's correct."

"You got it, Rossi. As soon as I have them I'll let you know."

JJ disconnects and looks at Rossi. "What are you thinking?"

"Either she's playing us for some reason we don't see yet or we're about to watch the fastest 'normal woman' to 'black widow' escalation in history. Do you mind if I take over the questioning this afternoon? I want to see what she's like when a man starts to pressure her."

JJ shakes her head. "Not at all. I agree, something feels off."

At 1 the agents greet Veronica as she re-enters the room they are using. She stops briefly when she sees Rossi and JJ have swapped places. She quickly covers her irritation and sits down. But both agents had seen the flicker in her eyes…a give-away that she is a little more conniving than she had been letting on.

"I hope you had a good lunch, Veronica," Rossi says. "Ready to get through your post college years leading up to the incident?"

The woman nods. "Sure. Uh, why are you questioning me instead of Agent Jareau?"

"We had split up our research on your life to make sure we covered everything. Is that okay?"

Veronica glances at JJ then back at Rossi. "Sure. Whatever you need, Agent Rossi."

Rossi gives her a charming smile. "Thank you." He shuffles the papers in front of him. "Now, it says here you left college when you married. Why was that?"

Veronica sighs. "My husband was in school, too. We couldn't afford for both of us to attend."

"Okay. But why did you drop out? You were a business major just a semester shy of graduating."

"He was Pre-Med. It wasn't possible for him to quit and go back to it later."

"That's not true. It would have made more sense to have you finish and get a good job then allow him to finish schooling." He looks at the papers again. "You had to take some rather low-paying jobs instead of getting a decent job that would have given you all a better life."

Veronica shifts uneasily. "He said it was best. He said it was what had to happen."

"So he forced you to drop out?"

Veronica thinks on that a second before answering. "Yes, he did. I didn't want to but I did because I loved him."

"I see. Why didn't you ever go back?"

"After college he had Med school and his internship. Little did I know he had a few women on the side, too," she adds bitterly.

"So you later found out he was having affairs all through his medical school and residency?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Did you consider leaving him at any time?"

"No. He was…he was my husband. He said he was under so much stress he had to have a release whenever he could."

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "And you couldn't give that to him?"

Veronica shrugs and rolls his eyes. "Obviously not."

Rossi slowly closes the folder in front of him. He clasps his hands together over it and leans on the table. "Veronica, this can only work if you're honest with us. If you continue to lie we'll call an end to this."

Veronica leans towards him. "I'm not lying!"

"Then why weren't any of these affairs mentioned during the trial? Why didn't your lawyer have you testify and explain your mental state?"

She throws up her hands. "He was an incompetent idiot! He was disbarred because of it!"

"Actually he was disbarred for sexual misconduct. Tell me: why didn't he try that with you?"

The woman's face is bright red. Her eyes are twitching rapidly. Everything about her says she does not like to be challenged. Rossi goes in for the kill.

"I have a feeling _you_ are the reason your husband turned to someone else for love and comfort. Were you bitter about giving up your life for him? Was that the problem?"

"YES! Yes, I gave that bastard everything and he fucked any woman ready to spread her legs for him! I told him when as he lay there dying that the only reason I wasn't cutting off his dick was I wanted to get away with it being a moment of blind rage! I just grabbed his gun and shot but oh, if I could have taken the time to kill him slowly I would have. Same with that slut I shot, too!"

She slams back in her seat, her breathing heavy with anger. JJ and Rossi exchange a look. JJ nods and starts to pack up. Rossi locks back at Veronica.

"I think we're done here. Your lawyer will be made aware of this interview as it will probably negate his appeal to the Supreme Court."

"BULLSHIT!"

JJ glares at her. "When you told your lawyer the truth he knew he could never put you on the stand or risk a charge of suborning perjury. And it probably scared him to even consider what you would do to him if you slept together and still lost at trial."

Veronica leaps up. "Take it back, bitch!"

JJ raises an eyebrow. "No."

Before Veronica can go after either agent the officers, summoned by a button by Rossi, hurry in. They wrestle the woman onto the table and get her in cuffs. As they drag her out she is still cussing and screaming at the agents; even accusing them of raping her in the interview room. Once alone, JJ looks at Rossi.

"Okay, if she was the better choice, what the hell will Clarissa Simedian be like?"

Rossi chuckles. "Maybe we're wrong about her, too."

"We can only hope," JJ says with a grin.

* * *

While waiting for the hotel shuttle, Morgan's phone suddenly beeps, alerting him to a message that must have been left while they were in the air. He checks it and starts to laugh. Emily looks at him curiously. He hangs up and grins.

"They came up with a plea bargain acceptable to both sides."

Emily rolls her eyes. "You're kidding me."

"Nope." He looks at his watch. "Guess we need to call Hotch and see if he wants us to fly back out tonight."

Emily groans and rubs her forehead. "Great."

Morgan studies her a second. "Headache?"

Emily nods. "Yeah. Air pressure wasn't fun."

"Damn, Em." He hits his speed dial. "Hotch? Yeah, we just got here. The D.A.'s assistant left a message that a plea deal was struck and we're not needed now." He listens a second. "Actually, Hotch, she'll probably kick my ass for saying this but Em's head is hurting from the flight."

"Morgan! Damn it!" Emily blurts out.

He ignores her, nodding at what Hotch is saying. "Good plan. We can work on case files we have with us and fly back tomorrow. Tell Garcia we may be in touch if we need help with anything." He listens. "You know I will. See you tomorrow." He hangs up and looks at a grumpy Emily. "Remember the bombing he was caught in? He gets the pain from the flight, Em."

Emily's face relaxes a bit. "Right. Forgot about that."

"He told us to just work at the hotel today, have fun tonight, and fly back tomorrow."

Emily smiles. "Yeah, okay. But, um, I'm not sure about tonight."

Morgan studies her. "Why not?"

Emily shrugs, looking away. "One, I'm not supposed to drink for 2 more weeks. Two, the cigarette smoke and noise in the casinos will not help my head." She takes a deep breath. "And three…I'm not sure I want to risk getting hit on or felt up, even accidentally, right now. Crowds probably aren't the best place for me."

Morgan winces, pained for his best friend. "Damn, Emily," he whispers. He takes her hand. "Okay, first things first: let's get to the hotel, get something to eat and work on our cases. Maybe we can watch a movie or something tonight."

Emily shakes her head. "You can go have fun. We're in Vegas. At least one of us should have a good time."

"Emily Prentiss, if you think I'm dumping my best friend and wingman at the hotel your head really is screwed up." She grins. "Let's just play it by ear. Okay?"

Emily nods. "Okay. Thanks, Derek."

"No thanks needed, Em. Come on, there's the shuttle."

* * *

Morgan walks through the door between their rooms. "How close to done are you?" he asks.

Emily runs a hand through her hair. "Just want to finish this last consult write up and I can call it a night."

"Hard one?" he asks.

Emily shakes her head. "No, should be a pretty easy one to close. I think there's a guy causing problems for himself but trying to frame the kids next door."

"Nice."

"Yeah. Lots of property damage and most recently a threatening letter to the editor that was turned over to police. The wording used is just not teen speak. Unless the neighborhood kids are 40 year old men I think the police need to look closer to home."

Morgan chuckles. "Good call. I'm going to grab a shower. Dinner in maybe an hour? Should give you time to call your better half."

Emily smiles. "Excellent."

Morgan heads back to his room. Emily finishes up about ten minutes later and goes to the bed to call JJ.

"Hey, Em," JJ answers immediately. "How was lawyer hell?"

Emily smiles. "It was perfect."

There is a pause. "Perfect?"

"There was a message when we got off the plane that a plea deal had been reached. Hotch told us just to stay the night anyway rather than fly back."

"You suck! That never happens for me. It's happened twice for you in recent months."

"What can I say? Defense attorneys know better than to cross me."

JJ laughs. "So full of shit, Agent Prentiss."

"But you love me anyway, Agent Jareau."

"Yes, yes, I do."

"So how was your day?"

JJ giggles. "It was…educational. You know how Rossi and I thought Lindy would be easy and helpful?"

"Yes."

"Turn out she is a lying, manipulative sociopath and Rossi got her to break."

Emily laughs. "Oh, too funny!"

"Yes, so everything she told us is pointless for our files but the D.A. is loving it since her case is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court."

"Well, hopefully what you two found out will keep her in prison if that's where she should be."

"It should. So, what are your plans for the night?"

"Dinner and then maybe back here for a movie."

There is a moment of silence. "Em, you and your best friend are in Vegas. You know I trust you both, right?"

Emily smiles. "I know, Jen. I just…don't really want to go out. I can't drink and the noise and smoke in the casino would just give me a headache. I told Morgan to go have fun but he won't."

"Emily, it's not just the smoke and noise, is it?" JJ asks softly.

Emily squeezes her eyes closed. "No," she admits, equally as soft. "If a guy touches me even innocently I'm scared I'd…I'd…lose my shit on him. I just don't want to deal with that possibility."

"I get that. I wish it could be different for you. I wish…fuck…I wish so much regarding that bastard."

"Me, too. But it is what it is, Jen. It happened and I'm getting better; putting it behind me. It's just taking some time."

"Okay. I guess just promise me if you watch a scary movie you won't cuddle with Morgan the way you cuddle with me."

Emily laughs. "No chance. We won't be naked."

JJ bursts out laughing. "Good to know, Mrs. Prentiss."

Emily glances at the clock. "Well, I better let you go. I know you'll still be readying your notes for tomorrow."

"Yep, I am."

"Sleep well, baby. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Can't wait, honey. I love you."

"I love you, too, Jen. Goodnight, baby."

"Night, Em."

Emily hangs up and takes a deep breath. Yes, she was getting better. But no, she still wasn't completely healed mentally. And it makes her mad. Other women have gone through worse. The poor children she saw on those DVD's had it a HELL of a lot worse. Why was this hanging with her the way it was?

"Penny for your thoughts," Morgan says from the door way.

"What?"

He walks over and sits down beside her. "You're glaring at the ceiling and your fists are clenched. What's going on in here, Em?" He asks lightly patting her head.

Emily shrugs. "I honestly don't know. I can't get past…what he did…to me, Derek. And he didn't even get to do it all, you know? Why can't I just…forget it?"

"Who says you have to? You know, Pete Cartwright said it best. When he left after taking your statement he said that bastard Ridgeley had made the world a safer place when he molested you. We all know you're going to use what he did to feel more for the victims and to be a better voice for them. It will give you more of that empathy that we all envy in JJ."

Emily thinks on that a minute. "You know, I hadn't thought of it that way." She smiles and takes his hand. "Thanks, Derek."

"Anytime. Look, I know you don't want to do the casinos. How about we do the other touristy things?"

Emily frowns. "Like what?"

"Like the pirate show at Treasure Island, the Ripley's museum, that kind of stuff. Things we don't usually do when we're here for a case. And if at any time your head gets to hurting we come on back here."

Emily slowly smiles. "You know, what? That sounds great. Let's do it."

He pats her on the leg. "Then get ready, Em. Time to tear up the town…innocently, at least."

She laughs and stands. "Give me 10 minutes."


	5. Chapter 5

JJ slaps the alarm as it goes off. She groans. Yes, she had gotten plenty of sleep she just hates getting up. She turns on the lamp beside the bed and sits up. She grabs her phone and sees she had gotten a text from Emily overnight. She opens it and sees it is a slide show of pictures.

"Cute!"

The first is taken in front of the fountains at Caesar's Palace. The next is at the Pirate Ship at Treasure Island. There are a few others are various landmarks. And the last causes her to raise her eyebrow.

"Oh, so not funny, you twits," she mutters.

Morgan stands with Emily in his arms like newlyweds outside the The Little White Wedding Chapel. Morgan's wedding band is sparkling in the flash. She sends a text back.

_"Polygamy is illegal, woman. And deadly. Time to brush up on my forensic countermeasures."_

Still chuckling about the silliness, JJ goes to the bathroom to start feeling human. By the time she meets up with Rossi for breakfast she is ready to face the day. She greets him and shows him the slide show. He starts to laugh.

"Those two are dangerous together."

"You just figuring that out?" she says with a grin.

"So when do they testify?"

JJ rolls her eyes. "They don't, the lucky shits." She tells him about the plea deal.

"So you're telling me those two got an FBI paid trip to Vegas for nothing?"

JJ nods. "Yep, pretty much."

Rossi shakes his head. "God takes care of fools and children. Those two are both."

JJ laughs. "You got that right."

"Wonder how much they ended up losing at the casino?"

JJ sobers a bit. "Nothing. Emily didn't want to go because of the noise and smoke and…and you know, guys being guys."

Rossi nods. "Ah, I see. Can't say I blame her. Well, it looks like they had fun anyway. Think they really got hitched?"

JJ raises an eyebrow. "If they did my email will go from joke to serious in 2 seconds flat."

"Emily's right…you are a scary little woman."

JJ nods. "And you all best never forget that."

* * *

JJ smiles as Clarissa Simedian is lead into the interview room. "Hello, Clarissa, I'm Jennifer Jareau and this is David Rossi with the FBI. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today."

Clarissa gives them an easy smile. "I've got nothing but time, Agents. And I know this may sound cliché but I've found God in here. My religious advisor suggested this to me in hopes I can learn more about what made me do the things I did and so that maybe it will help some other girl turn her life around before she ends up on this same track as me."

JJ nods. "That's commendable, Clarissa. What we are going to do is walk you through your childhood all the way up to who you are now. Are you ready?"

Clarissa nods. "No time like the present."

After making sure she understands how the conversation can be used, the agents begin. For the rest of the day they have one of the most productive interviews they've ever had. And they think it also helped the inmate, too, which is a rarity.

As they are packing up to leave, JJ looks at Rossi. "So, could we have been any more wrong about which inmate would be the better interview?"

Rossi laughs. "No, I don't think we could. But I'd say both were wins for different reasons." He pats her on the shoulder. "Either way, good job, Profiler."

JJ smiles proudly. "Thanks, Rossi."

The two start towards the warden's office to say goodbye. Suddenly there is some sort of commotion followed by a yell.

"HEY! STOP HER!"

A woman races around the corner and slams into Rossi, knocking him to the ground. JJ doesn't even think: she stiff arms the woman then grabs her arm and flips her to the ground. As the woman falls a guard races around the corner. He sees one woman standing and tackles her. JJ grunts.

"DON'T MOVE!" he yells at her.

"FEDERAL AGENT!" she yells back.

He starts to roll her to cuff her. She struggles and he punches her in the face.

"STOP FIGHTING!"

"JACKSON! Get your ass off Agent Jareau!" the warden yells.

The officer looks up in confusion as two policemen grab the real escapee. "What?"

"They said get off me, you idiot!" JJ grunts.

Officer Jackson slowly stands. "I…I didn't know. She was the only woman I saw."

"Because I'd already taken your prisoner down," JJ sneers as she stands.

"You okay?" Rossi asks her.

"I'm fine. Let's just get the hell out of here."

She pushes past the men and the now cuffed prisoner. Rossi looks at the warden and smiles.

"It was a pleasure."

The warden shakes his head. "Sorry for the way it ended. But thanks for coming and speaking with them. Keep up the good work, Agent Rossi."

Rossi shakes his hand. "We'll try."

He catches up to JJ at their rental car. She is staring at her face in the vanity mirror. She shakes her head.

"Not even on a fucking case and I'll end up with a black eye. Emily basically gets a free vacation and I get a black eye. Not. Fucking. Fair."

Rossi just laughs and drives them to the airport so they can make their way back to Virginia.

* * *

When she wakes up, Emily reaches for her phone and sees the text from her wife. She starts to laugh…then stops.

"Forensic countermeasures? Yep, I married a scary little woman. Damn, she's fucking hot as shit," Emily mumbles proudly.

Once dressed, she knocks on the door between rooms. Morgan opens a second later.

"You ready to go, Princess?"

"When you are. Oh, and, Jen will kill us if the marriage is real and she will figure out a way to hide the bodies."

Morgan starts to laugh. "So if you ever just…disappear, I'll know who did but I won't ever be able to prove it."

Emily nods, smiling. "Yep."

"Damn. Remind me never to piss off Blondie."

"Derek, if you don't already know that there's no hope for you," Emily points out as they both laugh.

After landing, Morgan and Emily go to Quantico to turn in the case consults they had done and see if there was anything else they needed to deal with before calling it a day. Hotch sees them and raises an eyebrow.

"Enjoy your trip?"

Emily gets serious. "No, sir. We had so few distractions we worked late into the night."

Hotch grins. "Right. If you wanted me to believe that you should have told Garcia not to share your, um, wedding picture."

Morgan and Emily burst out laughing. "Yeah, uh, you know it was just a…a…"

"Oh, I hear my phone ringing. See ya!" Morgan says as he hurries of to his office.

"Jerk," Emily calls after him. She turns back to Hotch. "We really did work. Promise."

He nods. "I know."

"And, Hotch, thanks. I know you let Garcia slide me some easy cases and let Morgan and I stay out there to help me clear my head. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Did it help?" Hotch asks.

Emily smiles. "Yes, it did. I can't thank you enough."

"I'm just glad it helped. Now, go clear your desk so you can take care of your wife tonight."

Emily frowns. "What the hell do you mean?"

Hotch laughs. "Turns out she looked like an escaping prisoner to a rookie corrections officer. He tackled her, ignored her when she identified herself, and then punched her."

Emily's face hardens. "And did she throttle him?"

"Nope. Managed to show incredible self-control, especially since she was the one that stopped the escapee for the guy. She just got a black eye out of it."

Emily shakes her head and grins. "And Morgan calls me Trouble."

He glances at her braced wrist. "I think it's an apt name for both of you, actually," Hotch states as he walks away.

Emily thinks a minute then nods. "Yeah, he's probably right."


	6. Chapter 6

When Emily gets home that evening she sees JJ is just pulling into the driveway, too. Emily pulls the Lexus into the garage and meets her wife in the drive way.

"Hi, slugger," Emily says with a grin.

JJ glares at her. "Ha. Ha."

Emily walks up and caresses JJ's cheek, noting the swelling and the still darkening bruise under her left eye.

"Oh, sweetheart." Emily gives her a kiss. "I am so sorry."

JJ sighs. "Not your fault. And, hell, we've both had worse. Just feel stupid because it was a corrections officer that did it. I didn't try to block him because I thought he'd get his ass off me when I told him who I was. I didn't even think to plan a block."

"That's understandable, Jen. Of course, Morgan is still going to pick on you for it."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah…yeah, I know. Speaking of your husband…"

Emily laughs. "Long story there. How about we go see the two cutest kids in the world and I tell you about it over dinner?"

JJ takes Emily's hand as they walk into the garage. Emily grabs her bags and they walk into the house to hear two children crying.

"Oy vey," Emily mutters.

Dropping their bags in the hallway, they follow the sounds of unhappy kids into the kitchen. They see Francesca ignoring them as she continues to clean up the dinner dishes. Henry sees his mother's first.

"MAMA! MOMMY!" he starts to hop down but Francesca spins around.

"Henry! No! Sit!"

Henry grunts and props his elbows on the table giving the infamous Henry/JJ Pout. Francesca walks over to the two women.

"Dare we ask?" JJ questions.

"Henry decided he did not want to eat broccoli and threw it at Rocky. Rocky got mad and threw it back. When I told Henry no dessert he started to cry and Rocky just joined in."

Emily shakes her head. "We don't pay you enough," she mutters.

Francesca smiles. "There are worse days, cara. I've told Henry he cannot get down and go play until I clean up so he is now just crying to cry. I sing to myself and ignore it," she says with a smile.

"Good way to do it," JJ notes. She walks to the table. "What's with the broccoli, Little Man?"

Henry shrugs. "No like."

"Didn't you promise your Mama last week that you would eat broccoli instead of beans? You're going to make your Mama think you lied to her and that will make her sad."

"Ooo…guilt trip. Nice," Emily whispers to Francesca, who just grins.

Henry slowly looks over at Emily. "Mama sad?"

Emily nods her head. "Yes. You promised me you'd eat broccoli."

Henry gives a heartfelt sigh. "Sorry, Mama. Henry eat now."

JJ slides his plate back in front of him. "Good boy."

He lifts up a piece of broccoli and puts it in his mouth. Emily has to turn away so he doesn't see her laughing at the look on his face. His eyes are all scrunched up and his nose wrinkled as he tries to get across to his mothers and caregivers just how hard it was for him to eat the cursed broccoli. As he eats, JJ picks up Rocky.

"And you, little one, we don't need you to add to the noise when your brother is having a tantrum."

"Ma!" Rocky says as she kisses JJ's cheek.

JJ smiles at her. "You're as dangerous a charmer as your mama, Rocky."

Emily walks over and kisses Rocky on the cheek. "Hey, sweet girl."

"Mama!" Rocky says and leans over to give Emily a kiss.

Emily walks over and strokes a hand down Henry's head. "Good boy, Henry."

"Love Mama," he says sadly.

"I love you, too, Champ. Thank you for eating your vegetables."

He gives her a smile. "Make happy?"

She nods, smiling. "It makes me very happy."

Emily takes Rocky from JJ so the blonde can now properly greet their son. She sits down beside him.

"I love you, Henry."

He smiles at her. "Love Mommy." He frowns and reaches a hand carefully towards JJ's eye. "Boo, Mommy?"

JJ nods. "Yes, I have a little boo-boo."

He leans towards her and she leans down so he can kiss her cheek. "Boo, Mommy, boo."

She smiles and ruffles his hair. "All better now. Thank you, Henry."

He smiles proudly, his tantrum from earlier already out of his thoughts.

* * *

After the kids are in bed, JJ finally has a chance to ask Emily about the pictures from Vegas. Emily smiles and sips a glass of cider as they sit at the dinner table.

"When I told Derek to go out and have fun alone he wouldn't do it," Emily says proudly. "We were just going to do dinner and then watch a movie in the hotel room. Then he had the idea to do the touristy things we never do: Treasure Island show, Ripley's museum, things like that. And as we were walking along he suddenly got an idea that made me love him even more than I thought I could."

* * *

_Emily and Morgan are walking along playing the "what's their story" game as they study the people out and about in Las Vegas. They are pretty sure they've profiled a few serial killers…or people who should be serial killers. _

"_So, where to next, Princess?"_

_Emily shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe we can go- -"_

"_Hey! Let's go in here," Morgan suddenly interjects._

_Emily looks at the store in confusion. "A jewelry store? Do you think our relationship is ready for this step?" she jokes._

_He looks at her and nods. "I think we should have done this long ago. Come on."_

_Emily, thoroughly confused, follows him inside. He walks up to the counter._

_"Can I help you, sir?" the clerk asks._

_"Yes, I need to see some cheap wedding rings._

_The clerk glances at Emily and back to Morgan. He leans towards the agent. "Uh, might not want to say 'cheap' in front of your girl."_

_Morgan grins. "She's only my girl when the job requires it."_

_The clerk is baffled but shrugs. "Uh, okay. We have a few over here you can take a look at."_

_Emily follows Morgan over to the display case. "Morgan, what are you doing?"_

_Morgan lifts her left hand and studies her wedding ring. He looks back at the display case and sees one that has similar designs on it. He points it out to the clerk._

_"Can I see that one there, please?"_

"_Morgan, what are you doing?"_

_He tries on a couple before finding one that fits. He still hasn't answered Emily's question. He hands the correct size ring to the clerk._

_"I'll take it."_

_"Very good, sir." The clerk puts it in a box and goes to the register._

_Emily grabs Morgan before he can follow. "Morgan, what the hell?"_

_Morgan takes her hand and stares into her eyes. "There will be times we have to use the 'happy couple' ruse. Unless there is a reason that we have to be single, we can now be a 'happy, married couple' so you never have to take your wedding ring off again."_

_Emily's eyes tear up as her heart skips a beat. "Derek…thank you," she chokes out._

_He smiles and nods. "Anytime, Emily."_

* * *

"And so then, as a joke, we went to the famous wedding chapel and had someone snap a picture of us with our rings for you," Emily finishes the story.

JJ smiles. "Remind me to buy him some chocolates."

Emily laughs. "I will. I can't believe he thought of that. It never crossed my mind to do that act as a married couple. He wouldn't even let me pay for the ring."

"He loves you, Em. It always makes me feel safe when you and he go out in the field together. You take care of each other."

"Yeah, we do. Of course, now I have to worry about sending you out with Rossi if he lets you come back looking like that."

JJ shrugs. "It's okay. He kissed me and made it all better."

Emily grunts in amusement. "Yeah, right." JJ says nothing, just lifts an eyebrow. Emily's smile fades. "Jen, that was a joke, right?" JJ shrugs and stands to clear off her dinner dishes. "Jen? Jennifer! Not funny, woman!" she says as JJ walks away whistling, still refusing to answer the question.

Emily hops up and races after her. She grabs her and spins her around, pinning her to the door to the basement.

"Looks like I need to reassert my claim on your lips," Emily says as she gives JJ a deep kiss.

JJ groans as she returns it. She wraps her arms around Emily's neck as Emily leans into her. When the kiss ends, JJ realizes her blouse is undone.

"Emily," she breathes out as Emily starts to squeeze the breasts hidden by blue satin.

"I love you, Jennifer Prentiss. You are mine."

"Yes…yours…always and only yours," JJ agrees as Emily slides a hand around to undo the bra.

Emily kisses her again as her hands start to pinch and rub the now free breasts. Emily thrusts her center against JJ's. After a few minutes she steps away, taking JJ's hand and leading her back into the activity room. She lies down on the couch, pulling JJ down on top of her.

"Oh, Em," JJ moans as they start to make out like teenagers.

Emily slides the blouse all the way off of JJ and removes the bra. Staring up at her wife, Emily can only shake her head.

"How did I get so lucky?"

JJ smiles, her eyes filled with lust. "I was just asking myself the same thing.

They kiss again. JJ's body automatically pumps down against her wife's. Emily meets each movement with her own. Her hands run all over golden skin: front, back, sides. She urges JJ to scoot up some and her mouth can now suck the luscious globes on her wife's chest.

"Oh, Emily," JJ whispers.

Emily continues to work JJ's breasts with her hands as she looks up at her wife.

"Strip for me, Jennifer. Let me love you. Please."

JJ slowly stands, both women hating even the temporary separation. She toes off her shoes and slides her slacks and panties to the ground. Emily groans.

"So fucking gorgeous, Jennifer."

JJ climbs on her wife once more. She leans down and captures Emily's mouth in a deep kiss. Emily runs her hands down JJ's body, grasping her firm ass and using it to increase the pressures of their thrusts against each other. JJ starts to rock harder.

"More…need…more…" she pants against Emily's mouth.

Emily slides a hand between them, feeling the soaked golden curls. "So wet for me, Jennifer."

"Yes, for you. Only for you," JJ says as she presses her clit into Emily's hand.

Emily's hand on JJ's ass presses down as her hand on the clit presses up.

"Oh, Em! Yes!"

Using her body and her hands, Emily works her wife into a frenzy.

"In me, Em. Please…in me," JJ begs.

Emily shifts and three fingers rush deep into her wife. JJ sits up, dangling her breasts tantalizingly in front of Emily. The brunette takes advantage of the position and her mouth latches on to one as she continues to use her hips to thrust her fingers deep into JJ. She slides her other hand around, letting it rub, squeeze, caress the hard jewel of desire she worships.

"Oh, Em, you make me feel so good. I am yours, baby. Yours. Yours. YOURS!"

She screams as she rides her wife into ecstasy. Emily moans as her hand and pants are soaked with proof of her wife's love. As JJ collapses down on her wife, Emily starts to lightly stroke up and down JJ's back.

"I love you, Jen. I love you so much. Never doubt that love or my trust of you. You own my heart forever, sweetheart."

JJ nuzzles into Emily's neck. "I know, baby. I love you, too. No one will ever turn my head, baby. I am yours as you are mine."

"Yes. Forever," Emily agrees.

After a few minutes, JJ sits up. She brushes a lock of hair from her wife's forehead. "Let's go upstairs so I can make love to you all night long."

Emily smiles. "Best idea I've heard all day."

The two go upstairs and make love long into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry no posts yesterday. Day out with my wife followed by a nice dinner and then time just for us last night.**

* * *

When they get to work the next morning they run into Morgan at the elevators. As they wait for a car, JJ pats his arm.

"Emily told me about the ring. Thank you," she says sincerely.

He smiles. "Any time. Of course if a girlfriend ever finds it I'll need you two to vouch for me that it's just a prop."

JJ laughs. "You got it, Morgan."

As they get off the elevator they find a jittery Spencer Reid waiting for them. "Emily! I need you!" he says immediately

"You have me," she answers. "What's wrong?"

"Those files Hotch had me look at, I think it's serial but there's some confusing clues."

She nods. "I'd be happy to look at it with you."

"Just answer me this: Anasazi."

JJ and Morgan exchange a look, knowing they are about to witness a nerdling mindmeld.

Emily thinks a second. "Toltec Mounds."

Reid nods. "Machu Pichu."

"Ancient Egyptians."

"Right."

"So where are they?"

"I'll show you."

The two nerds hurry towards JJ's old office which had been turned into a work station after the incident with Sheriff Delpy. Morgan and JJ, completely amused as well as curious, follow.

Emily immediately sees the pictograms that had Reid concerned.

"Could be linked."

"Or may not be," he says.

"Uh, would the two nerdlings like help?" JJ asks.

Emily and Reid answer at the same time. "No thanks."

Morgan laughs. "Ouch."

"Guess we're just chopped liver," JJ says to him.

Emily looks at Reid. "Elementary."

"Juvenile."

"Graduation."

"Signature."

"Right."

Emily nods. "It's presenting as a serial but the pictures waver back and forth in their degree of sophistication. That doesn't make sense."

"And there's no pattern: no specific state or road or dump site. Nothing that would explain the change."

"Partner?"

"Risky. Mental instability?"

"Kills too similar. Intriguing."

"Very."

JJ and Morgan exchange an amused look as the nerds fall silent, studying the photos on the wall.

"Well before their speech patterns rub off on me, I'm going to my desk. I love you, my nerdlings," JJ says. She just gets grunts in reply.

She and Morgan leave the room, chuckling. Morgan shakes his head.

"What the hell would we do if they didn't understand each other?"

"Remember the days of Spence before Emily arrived?"

Morgan nods. "True. See you at the meeting."

JJ nods and goes to her desk to check her mail and get ready to face the day. Hotch walks up to her as she finishes sorting the pile.

"Nice shiner."

JJ grins. "Thanks."

"I want you to know Rossi has signed off on your last field review." He smiles. "You're no longer a probationary profiler. Congratulations, JJ."

JJ smiles proudly. "You know, if it wasn't completely inappropriate I'd give you a big hug and kiss!"

Hotch laughs. "Right. Uh, a handshake will do."

JJ nods. "I know." She shakes his hand. "Thanks, Hotch, for giving me a chance. I know there were experienced profilers available when the position opened. It means a lot to me that you gave me a chance to earn the title."

"You are and have always been an integral part of the team. I'd have fought to keep you no matter what." He looks around. "Where's Emily?"

"Having an EmiReid conversation."

Hotch rolls his eyes. "Ah. Thanks for the warning. Guess I won't go check on Reid. I'll just wait for the meeting to find out where things stand with his case."

"Good idea."

Hotch goes back to his office and JJ sits down to finish going through her mail and get going on her day.

* * *

Emily has just sat down in her seat for the meeting when her phone rings. She sees it's a New York prefix but doesn't recognize the number.

"Prentiss," she answers as other members of the team file into the conference room.

"Emily? It's Victor Tobbin."

Emily smiles. "Hi, Victor! How are you doing?"

JJ and Morgan look over at Emily, glad to see the happiness in her eyes.

"I'm okay. I wanted to tell you I talked to Pete and another officer yesterday and I told them everything again and because I did the bad man named Mr. Banner is going to jail for a long, long time and he can't ever get out to hurt me again."

"Oh, Victor, I am so happy to hear that," Emily gushes.

By now the whole team is in the room. Her elation is making them all smile.

"I was real brave, Emily."

"I know you were, Victor. You are a very brave young man. I am so proud of you."

"Uh, I have to go now because the doctor I just talk to is ready for me. Is…is it okay if I call you again some time? Just…to say hi?"

"I would love for you to call me. You can call anytime. If I don't answer I may be chasing down more bad men so leave me a message and I'll call you back, okay?"

"Okay, Emily. Can you tell JJ hello for me?"

"I sure will. She'll be proud of you, too."

"Good. Thanks, Emily. Bye now."

"Bye, Victor." Emily hangs up and smiles at her team. "Because of Victor's statement Banner pled guilty."

"Good," Garcia says with uncharacteristic venom.

Emily looks at JJ. "He says hi. He wanted me to know he was brave and spoke to Pete and another officer. He sounded better and he's talking to a shrink of some sort." She looks at Hotch. "He's going to be okay."

Hotch smiles. "Good to know. I think we can all agree that we needed some good news related to that case."

"Don't forget the little red-haired boy," Garcia points out. "He was saved, too."

Rossi nods. "Two survivors from that case. That's two more than usual."

"And more could be out there. Katie Cole promised to keep us in the loop as they work to track down more of the little boys from the DVD's. Let's hope more families are reunited," Hotch states to nods from the team. "Now, that said, what are we looking at as we head into the weekend."

Reid sits forward. "There are definite pictograms left near the dump sites at all the murders in that file. But there are strange variations in their artistry. And it doesn't follow a progression of starting bad and gradually improving. They sway back and forth between good and bad. Emily and I speculate that the unsub has a physical issue that may affect his ability to create the drawing depending on how much the victim fought him."

"Good theory. Are we sure they are all the same killer?"

"That's the one thing I am sure of," Reid confirms.

"Okay, Reid you and I will fly out this afternoon and take a tour of the 4 counties involved. The one that doesn't want us there will be last and we'll expect the rest of you all to meet us somewhere on Monday. We'll let you know where we decide to base the investigation," Hotch orders.

The team nods. With that plan in place, they spend the rest of the meeting recapping the week and getting new files from Garcia.

"Okay, and last piece of business," Hotch says, handing papers to Emily and JJ. "You two are up for requalification on the range. Go ahead and go today. That way if JJ screws up you'll have the whole month to try again," he finishes with a grin.

JJ laughs. "In your dreams, Hotchner. I'll still be #1 in the BAU when I walk off the range."

"Not a bet I'd take, Aaron," Rossi advises as the team chuckles.

"Well, go ahead and get it done today. Emily, I know you've got a hurt wrist but you should still pass."

Emily nods. "After that call earlier, I think I could throw the bullets through the target."

He smiles. "I can believe that." He stands. "We'll see you all Monday."

As they walk out of the conference room, JJ smiles at her wife.

"I loved to see that look in your eyes when Victor called. It's been missing since we got to Long Island."

Emily grins. "I felt something just…click in me when I heard his voice. I may hate having to see or hear all that kind of shit. But I love saving the kids. I know we can't save them all but every one we do save is a victory to savor. I nearly forgot that."

"Glad he called to remind you."

"Me, too."

The two go back to their desks, both with a new spring in their steps after the well-timed call from Victor.

* * *

At 2 p.m. JJ steps up to the shooting station. Her eyes and ears already on*, she takes a calming breath. Everything around her fades. A tap on the shoulder from the instructor signals the start of her requalification. She lifts her gun, slides in the clip, chambers a round and fires 8 shots in rapid succession.

The instructor just shakes his head in amazement. Most agents shoot, check aim, shoot again. JJ just knows where she's firing and gets the job done. He's seen very few agents as confident in their abilities.

He sends the target downrange as JJ readies her equipment once more. He taps her shoulder and watches as she again fires 8 shots in rapid succession. A tap to her shoulder signals that she can step back from the shooting station. He smiles at her as she removes her earpieces.

"Do I really need to check this, Jareau?"

JJ smiles confidently. "Nope."

He laughs. "Well, let's just do it anyway, okay?"

He brings the target back up to the line and laughs. "Remind me never to challenge you to a duel."

JJ gives him a wink. Yep, she was still tops in the BAU. Though she would never openly admit it, she takes pride in being at the top both as an agent and as a woman. She gathers her gear and goes out to catch up with Emily, who had already finished her requal test.

"So, are you safe to take into the field armed?" Emily jokes.

JJ nods. "I'd say so."

Emily rolls her eyes. "Still #1?"

"Hell, yeah!" JJ says proudly.

The two women head back to the office. They are putting their range bags in the back of the Hummer when JJ notices Emily flexing her wrist.

"Still hurting?"

"More like throbbing now. And it's all your fault, woman."

JJ grins. "Not my fault you're unable to keep your hands off or out of me."

Emily laughs. "Like you were fighting to keep me from fucking your brains out. How did I know you'd end up collapsing like that and spraining my wrist."

"Oh, well I- -"

Her words choke off as the women start to hear laughter behind them. Blushing profusely, they slowly turn to see Morgan and Garcia standing a few feet away. Both are fighting to control their laughter. Morgan nods at JJ.

"Don't let us stop this conversation."

"Oh. My. God!" JJ mutters.

"Jen," Emily whines as Morgan grins at her.

"Hurt during sex? Nice one, Porn Star," Morgan jokes.

"Derek, I swear I'll kill you," Emily threatens. He doesn't look worried.

"So, uh, tripping on a toy is a euphemism for sex injury now," Garcia clarifies. "I'll have to remember that," she says looking at Morgan.

"Me, too," he agrees.

Emily and JJ look at each other. The two people they never wanted to know now know. They would never, ever hear the end of it.

"This is all your fault," they say simultaneously to each other. Morgan and Garcia just start laughing again.

* * *

*** Eyes and Ears are the slang for the eye and ear protection shooters wear.**


	8. Chapter 8

Around 4:30 Garcia walks into the bullpen. Seeing JJ on the phone she goes to Emily's desk.

"What are the chances I can invite myself over to Chateau Prentiss for dinner, wine and girl talk?"

Though Emily and JJ both had looked forward to a weekend spent with their kids the brunette doesn't have to be a profiler to see Garcia needs to talk. She smiles.

"I'd say better than 50-50."

"Are you sure? I mean, I know you probably want to spend time with Henry and Rocky since you've been gone this week and are leaving again on Monday and- -"

"Garcia!" Emily interrupts. "It's fine. Plan to spend the night if you want so you can enjoy a whole bottle of wine all to yourself if you want."

"A Henri Roxanne?"

Emily smiles. "Whatever you want except those on the reserve shelf."

"Deal." Garcia thinks a minute. "What is the reserve shelf, anyway?"

"Those are ones that are supposed to get better with age or that I have paid a ridiculous sum for as an investment."

"So what could make you ever open one of those?"

Emily smiles and shrugs. "Triplets?"

Garcia bursts out laughing and glances over at her best friend. "JJ carrying triplets…I'm not sure the world would be ready for that grumpiness."

Emily grins and nods, noticing that JJ is glaring in their direction. "We plan to be out of here at 5 on the dot, depending on any last minute calls or emails."

"Excellent. I plan to sneak out a little early to avoid…well…just because."

Emily nods, knowing not to press her here. "Okay. We'll meet you at the house."

"Am I allowed to spoil the kids until you arrive?" she asks with a pleading grin.

"To a point. If they are eating dinner and Henry is being a pill about his veggies don't contradict Francesca. He needs to learn he can't throw a tantrum just because he suddenly decides he doesn't like something."

"Awww…I so love you in Mama Mode. I promise: no undermining the nanny. Considering her background I'd be scared to piss her off."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "What the hell do you know about Francesca's background?"

Garcia looks at her wrist. "Oh, look at the time. Got a search to- -"

"Garcia," Emily says threateningly. "What do you know and who else does?"

Garcia shrugs. "I know as much as I could find. I checked into her when you hired her. I had to make sure my Godson and future nieces and/or nephews would be safe. Little did I know just how safe they were!"

"So you've known all this time?" Emily asks incredulously.

Garcia blushes. "Sort of."

"And you never said a word to me or Jen or anyone?"

Garcia frowns. "Well, I knew you knew and I guess I figured Jen knew."

Emily laughs. "She's never asked Fran or me about it. She just assumed if I wasn't completely screwed up Francesca must be a heck of a nanny."

"Oh, that is too funny. I'm already feeling better." She glances at her watch. "I need to go shut down my computers. I'll see you at Chateau Prentiss."

Emily nods. "Sounds good."

Emily sits back in her seat. Somehow it doesn't surprise her that Garcia had done that search but it does surprise her it's taken so long for that knowledge to come out.

"You are an amazing friend, Penelope Garcia," Emily whispers as she starts to get her desk cleared and files packed up for the trip on Monday.

* * *

After the kids are in bed, the three ladies are sitting in the living room. JJ and Garcia are enjoying a bottle of the Dupois Henri Roxanne. Emily is drinking a SmartWater since she's still under medical orders not to drink. JJ's jaw nearly hits the table as Garcia finishes her story.

"He said that? Seriously? What the fuck has crawled up his butt and died?"

"I don't know. It just seems anytime something good happens to me he gets all pissy and bitter. It's not my fault that I've had more chances for recognition than him. I spend the day searching about scary people and fighting back tears reading about victims. I work all hours of the day and any day of the week I'm needed and I have come up with several programs the Bureau uses across the country now. I am DAMN good at my job and I deserve everything I have gotten." She takes a breath and looks at her friends. "Right?" she asks self-consciously.

JJ grabs her hand. "Damn right you do. Hell, Garcia, if he wants the same sort of kudos you're getting he needs to switch jobs. He's mostly a tech, not an analyst. Sure he's helped us out on occasion, and been recognized for that work let me point out, but he's not doing that day after day."

"I tried to tell him that. He turned that into, 'You just think you're so much better than me.' He is so infuriating lately!"

Emily had listened quietly as Garcia had told the story. Lately it seemed praise heaped on Garcia had really been pissing Kevin off. But it had gotten worse since Garcia had been given a promotion. Though it really only meant a change in pay it had also given Garcia the ability to call in techs if needed. Emily listens to the blondes a moment then sits forward.

"Pen, do you know if he asked for a raise or put in for a promotion recently?"

Garcia stops a moment. "Uh, not that I know of. I mean, wait…" she thinks a second. "You know, he was kind of excited about something right before my promotion was announced. He wouldn't tell me why."

"Do you think he'd maybe heard about a promotion coming and assumed it was for him?" Emily asks.

Garcia frowns. "I…I don't know how. I mean, I didn't ask for the promotion and it wasn't like it was posted or something. It was just so the director doesn't have to be called anytime I need more help on the weekend."

"But still maybe he heard his boss mention it and just assumed it was for him," JJ says.

"But why, Jayje, would he think that?" Garcia asks in frustration.

"He's been with the Bureau longer, he's more…well…Bureau-ish dress-wise, and he didn't come to us the way you did by being arrested for hacking. And now you outrank him," Emily points out. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but he's probably never been suspended or reprimanded for anything."

Garcia slumps down on the love seat. "You're not wrong. So it's kind of my fault he- -"

"NO!" Emily and JJ say together.

"Whoa! In stereo!"

"If his attitude problem is because you _earned_ a promotion over him that's his problem, not yours," JJ insists. "How many times has he given up a weekend, stayed all night at Quantico, or traveled across the country in support of our team? I can count those times on one hand. YOU, however, have done that so many times there's not enough hands in the whole BAU to count that high."

"And any reprimand or suspension you've received has been because you do a hell of a job protecting us and getting us the information that saves lives. Don't you dare feel bad because he hasn't done those things," Emily finishes.

Garcia slowly smiles. "I love you guys."

"We love you, too, Pen," JJ replies. "If his attitude really is over this promotion then you make sure to set him straight. And if it's something else you deserve an explanation. I am so mad at him for making you feel like crap but not having the fucking balls to tell you why."

"Bad word, Mommy. Time out," Henry says from the doorway.

The women turn to see him standing there with Bear-Bear in one hand, his other curled into Alaska's scruff. Emily stands. "Henry, why are you up?"

"Bad dream, Mama."

She lifts him up. "Oh, Champ, why didn't you call for us?"

"Did, Mama." He sniffles. "No come."

Emily glances at the monitor and frowns. "Well, let's go back upstairs and see what's going on, okay?"

He just nods as he cuddles into her shoulder. As they leave the room, Garcia looks over at JJ.

"You know, when we first met Emster I don't think I'd have picked her to be such an awesome mother. And after that first time we met Elizabeth I really would have never thought it."

JJ nods, leaning back on the couch. "I know what you mean. She wouldn't have believed it either."

"And what about you?"

"Hell, Pen, I had such a crush on her all I could think about was getting in her pants."

Garcia bursts out laughing. "And yet how long did it take for you two to get together?"

JJ rolls her eyes. "Guess it's a better late than never kind of thing. Besides, I just didn't believe someone like her could love someone like me."

Garcia rolls her eyes. "Yeah, you mean someone hot, smart, kind, generous, well-spoken…should I keep going?"

JJ pretends to consider it. "Yeah, keep it up."

Garcia throws a pillow at her. "Brat."

"Yep!" JJ says proudly. "I meant a small town girl from a middle-class family. I just didn't believe someone like her could love someone like me. But she does and I am so happy with her. Happier than I'd ever thought I'd be."

"That's so sweet! I wish I could find that. I mean, I love Kevin even when he's being an ass but…well…I don't think I love him like you and Emily love each other."

"Pen, you deserve love like we have. Don't sell yourself short."

"I won't. I suppose I have some heavy thinking to do this weekend."

JJ just nods. She glances over at the baby monitor receiver and frowns. "Weird. Why aren't we hearing Emily help Henry get back to sleep?"

Garcia grabs it. "Good question. Power light is green so it's charged." She starts to fiddle with it. "It's not the receiver."

"Damn. I don't like not having a monitor in there at night."

"Do you have an extra one?"

"Yes, we got two at Rocky's shower. We keep the extra in the guest room for Jack and Abby when they spend the night here." She stands. "Wait here. I'll go get it and switch it out."

JJ goes upstairs. She collects the spare monitor and walks quietly towards Henry's room. She hears Emily singing to him and peeks in. Seeing his eyes closed, she tiptoes in and swaps out the monitors. She walks down the hall and turns on the receiver, glad to hear Emily's voice coming out of it. She takes the other machine downstairs so Garcia can fiddle with it.

"No, Kevin, I'm not leaving," Garcia says.

JJ stops in the hallway. At first she thinks Kevin has shown up but now realizes Garcia is on the phone. Though she knows she shouldn't, she stays in the hallway listening to her best friend's part of the conversation.

"Well, maybe I'm spending Friday night with them because they don't treat me like shit." There is a pause. "Oh, you do lately! Are you jealous of my promotion, Kevin? Is that it? Because that's when your attitude went in the toilet!" She listens some more. "Fine."

JJ hears the sound of a phone hitting the coffee table. She walks into the room and sees Garcia in tears.

"Oh, Pen," she says.

She puts the monitor on the table and sits beside her best friend, pulling her into a hug. "Dare I ask?"

"He's such a…a…a jerk!"

"What happened?"

"He called and just said he's on his way to my place. I told him I wasn't there and didn't plan to be there until some time tomorrow. He said he hadn't heard about a case. I said it's not a case it's hanging with my friends. He flipped and said you all mean more to than he does. I said maybe you do. He _demanded_ I leave. I said no." Garcia pauses to take a deep, shuddering breath.

"I think I arrived about that time," JJ says gently.

"He said he can't even speak to me when I'm being so selfish. So I hung up on him." Garcia just sinks into JJ's hug. "Do you think it's over, JJ? Have I lost him?"

"I don't know, Pen. It sounds like you two need to have a really long, important talk."

"Yeah."

The two sit there hugging, listening as Emily continues to sing to Henry. JJ and Garcia chuckle as the song Emily is singing ends and a tired little voice commands once more.

"Sing, Mama. Sing."

As Emily starts to sing "their song" JJ sighs happily. Garcia sniffles.

"I so want what you guys have. I know you two have arguments and I know you drive each other crazy sometimes but you still love each other and, even more importantly, respect each other. I just don't think Kevin respects me. He might respect my computer abilities, even be jealous of them, but he doesn't see me when I'm not behind the keyboard. Emily just thinks of you and her eyes light up. You're the same way. Does Kevin ever get that look?"

JJ sighs. "I can see he loves you, Pen. And he is proud of you in a lot of ways."

"But does he get that 'she's the light in my universe' look in his eyes?"

"I'm not sure any guy gets that look," JJ replies honestly.

"Yes, they do. My stepfather had that for my mother. And before things got bad between them thinking of Hailey was the only time Hotch ever really looked happy. I want that look, JJ. I want a guy to think I hung the moon. Not to think I can fetch his dinner because he thinks he had a tough day." She chuckles sadly. "You know, once when Em was working from home I was staying with her because I had to be up really early. She got up and when I came downstairs she had a travel mug of coffee ready for me. Kevin has never once done that for me. He's never done anything other than mutter 'Bye, Pookie' and kiss me goodbye. He's usually snoring before I get out of the room."

"Have you talked to him about these things?"

"Yes. He said men are different and if I want things like that I should be with a woman."

JJ smiles. "Any chance of that?" Garcia doesn't answer. JJ sits up and looks at her friend. "Penelope?"

"Let's just say I'm not completely against it but it's never really something I considered until now."

JJ laughs and kisses her cheek. "Not all guys are Kevin so don't give up the species based on him. Do what's right for you. I have to say, even though it didn't work out, Will was a good guy for the little things. He'd have a cup of coffee for me but he'd still be grumbling if our weekend was interrupted by a case. And don't compare Kevin to Emily because she really, truly gets the job. I know Kevin's helped us a few times but he hasn't seen it the way we have. And dating a woman not in the BAU would probably cause the same issues."

"Then damn you for landing Emily," she says with a grin.

JJ laughs. "I'd say I'm sorry but, well, I hate lying to my friends."

Garcia smiles. "Yeah, I know."

Emily walks in and sees the two women in an embrace. She smiles. "Finally my fantasy comes true: two gorgeous blondes just waiting for me."

JJ rolls her eyes. "And see, Pen, even Emily can be such a 'guy' sometimes."

Garcia giggles. "But she's cute so we forgive her."

"Well…if you insist," JJ agrees.

Emily winks and sits down on the couch. "So, what did I miss?"

"Pen needs us to set her up with a woman so she can walk on the wild side and see if the grass is greener over here."

"Okay," Emily says. "But I warn you, Pen: not every woman is Jennifer and she sets the bar higher than most people dare to dream."

"Charmer," JJ and Garcia say at the same time.

Emily just smiles. The three spend the rest of the evening trying to decide what qualities Garcia's perfect woman would have. By the end they know: it'd be a female cross between Derek Morgan and Kevin Lynch. Emily nods.

"Yep, shouldn't be hard to find at all."

Garcia shrugs. "Why should I settle?"

JJ nods in agreement. "Why indeed?"

Garcia gives them both hugs. "I love you two so much. Thanks for joining me for my pity party."

Emily wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Anytime, PG. Absolutely anytime."


	9. Chapter 9

Emily spins Rocky around in her water ring. The little girl cackles with glee, slapping her hands against the water. A little ways away JJ and Henry are playing with his boats, making them race like the Cars characters they are named after. On the side of the pool, Alaska lies in the shade, his eyes never leaving his boy.

Emily spins her daughter once more. She grabs her feet. "I got you! Yes, I do. I got you!"

The little girl kicks and giggles. "Mama! Mama! No!"

"Yes, I do! I got you!"

The little girl's laughter breaks off as she gives a big yawn. Emily pulls her close. "Is someone ready for a nap? Looks like you might be." She kisses Rocky's forehead. The little girl grabs her Mama's hair, holding her close. Emily rubs their foreheads together. "I love you, Roxanne Amy Prentiss."

"Mama," the little girl says happily as she yawns once more.

Emily leans back and looks at the two blondes. "Jen, Rocky's getting tired. You two stay and have fun we'll head on inside."

"No s'immin' tired, Mama."

Emily smiles. "That's right, Henry. So we're going to go inside so Rocky can rest."

"'Kay, Mama. Bye, Mama. Bye, Wok," he says and immediately goes back to playing with his boats.

Emily chuckles and looks at JJ. "Good to see we'll be missed."

JJ just laughs. Emily lifts Rocky out of her water ring and sets it on the side of the pool. The little girl tucks her head into her Mama's shoulder, already losing the battle with sleep. By the time Emily gets her upstairs Rocky is asleep. Emily smiles.

"It's always so much easier to change you when you aren't trying to crawl away, Rocky. Once Rocky is in a clean diaper and a sleeper, Emily carries her into the master bedroom.

"How about you hang here with me while I read? Sound good to you?" The little girl continues to sleep. Emily smiles and nods. "I'll take that as a yes."

Emily uses JJ's pillows to create a barrier on the other side of the bed then lays Rocky in the center. She changes into shorts and a tee before grabbing her book and settling in to read a few chapters.

When JJ and Henry come in about 45 minutes later JJ leaves Henry on his potty and checks on her wife and daughter. She smiles when she sees them cuddled up together asleep on the bed.

"Too cute."

She pulls her phone out of her pocket and snaps a picture, setting it as her background.

"Mommy! Done!" Henry calls.

JJ goes back to help him get changed and ready to lay down for a nap. "So, Henry, how about when you and Rocky and Mama get up from your naps we go to the mall and get you and your sister some new sneakers."

"Play on hellochopper?"

JJ smiles proudly. "Good word, Henry." Not quite right but she gets what he means. "Yes, you can take a ride on the helicopter and maybe we can all get an ice cream, too. Does that sound like fun?"

"Si, Mama! Fun!"

"Okay, so let's get you in a fresh pull up and a t-shirt for your nap."

When Henry crawls in bed he takes JJ's hand. "Book?"

JJ smiles. "Okay. Which one?"

"Bunny!"

"Okay." JJ goes and gets "The Lively Little Rabbit" off his bookshelf. It had been one of her childhood favorites and, according to Sandy, the first one she had learned to read. She lies down beside her son on his little car bed and starts to read. Before she is midway through they are both asleep.

It is precious moments like this with their children that both women cherish.

* * *

Emily pulls the tandem stroller out of the back end of the Hummer. She has just snapped it into place when JJ walks over with Henry.

"Wanna walk, Mommy."

"Not yet, Henry. Maybe once we get to the toy store, okay. Remember, it's dangerous in the parking lot."

Henry sighs. "I 'member."

She kisses his head. "Good boy."

As she buckles him in, Emily gets Rocky out of her car seat. The little girl is happily singing a song only she knows the words to. Emily grins.

"That's a pretty song, Rocky."

The little girl just smiles and keeps on singing. Once both kids are strapped in Emily starts to push them towards the mall.

"So, where to first, Mommy?" she asks her wife.

"Shoes first while they are in a good mood."

Emily grins. "Good point. I could use a new pair myself, too."

"We'll see. Henry, has Mama been a good girl?"

"Si, Mama good."

"Think she deserves new sneakers?"

"Si, Mommy. Mama run fast."

JJ laughs. "Well, if they will make her run fast I think we can get them for her."

"Thanks for backing me, Champ," Emily says as Henry giggles.

At the shoe store Henry gets really excited. "Mommy! 'pideyman!"

JJ smiles at her wife. "I think I know which shoes Henry wants."

Emily ruffles his hair. "Good call, Champ."

While JJ measures his feet Emily starts to look at the girls shoes. She finds herself amused once again as the ones that appeal most to her are the ones that are pink and have little lacy ruffles around the opening.

"_When the hell did I get so girly-girl? Eesh_," she thinks to herself.

She takes the cute little display shoe off the shelf and a couple more: one with Elmo and one with Dora the Explorer. She kneels down in front of Rocky.

"So, Rock, which ones do you like?"

Rocky looks at each shoe as if really studying them. Emily can't help but grin when the little girl reaches for the pink, frilly ones. She shakes her head.

"Yep, you are my daughter, Rocky."

Emily grabs a child's Brannock Device so she can make sure she gets the right size. As soon as she slips Rocky's sandals off the little girl starts to giggle and kick her feet.

"Come on, Rocky, let me…baby, come on…please…Rocky keep your…give me your…"

But it's just a game to the giggling girl. From a few chairs away, JJ watches, fighting back laughter as her brilliant wife is outsmarted by an 11 month old.

"Rocky, please keep your…sweetheart…oy…you are my child…and your grandmother is on her way to being avenged."

Emily's sanity is saved as a lady that works at the store walks over and hands Rocky a lollipop. The little girl smiles and shoves it in her mouth…still in its wrapper. The woman looks at Emily.

"You open the pop, I'll measure the foot."

Emily grins and nods. "Deal."

Emily manages to get the wrapper off the sucker and the now calm Rocky lets the lady measure her foot.

"There you go," the saleswoman says. "I'll be right back with her size."

"Great. Thanks," Emily says. Once she is gone, Emily looks at her daughter. "You might could be evil in the making, Sweet Girl."

Rocky just smiles as she sucks on the green candy. JJ walks over and places a hand on Emily's head.

"Good thing the sales lady was around, big bad agent."

Emily grins. "I'd have wrangled her…eventually."

"Riiight. Well, Henry is set. Why don't you go get your shoes while I wait for Rocky's."

"Okay. And, Jen, I swear…she picked them out."

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Alright." Emily starts to walk away. "You girly-girl."

Emily turns and glares at her wife who just grins.

"Look, Mama!"

Emily pauses to kneel down and admire his new Spiderman shoes. "Wow! Those are cool, Henry. Think I can borrow them?"

He starts to giggle. "No, Mama! You big!"

She pretends to pout. "So I can't wear them?"

"No! Get you shoes. No wear Henry shoes!"

"Well, okay. I'll get my own." She kisses his forehead. "I hope I can find ones as cool as yours."

He hops off his chair and takes her hand. "Henry help."

Emily smiles. "Okay, Champ."

She looks and makes sure JJ knows Henry is with her as they go to find a new pair of running shoes for her. He happily sucks on the lollipop he'd been given as Emily looks for a pair of shoes. Though they don't find Spiderman or Batman shoes, they do find a pair of red and blue Nikes. Henry holds up his foot.

"Like Henry's!"

Emily nods. "Yep, they are just like yours, Henry. Good boy for seeing that."

He smiles proudly. "Henry good."

She gives him a hug. "Yes, he's very good."

After all the shoes are paid for, the family heads to a clothing store just to see if there's anything they can't live without. They do find a cute dress for Rocky for church and a shorts and shirt set with Cars on them for Henry. JJ looks at Emily.

"So, t-o-y-s or i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m first?"

"T-o-y-s. Cleaner."

"Good point. So, who wants to go to the toy store?"

Henry claps his hands. "Henry and Wok and Mama and Mommy!"

"Okay, and what's the rule?" Emily asks.

"Only 1 toy," Henry states.

"Good boy. And if you have a tantrum?"

"No toy," Henry says sadly.

"Good remembering, Henry," JJ praises him.

He smiles up at his Mommy. It dawns on JJ just how much he's grown up. Hard to believe he was the preemie little baby that looked like a doll. She strokes a hand over his head.

"I love you, Henry."

He smiles. "Love Mommy."

In the toy store they stroll the aisles looking at all the wondrous things for sale. Emily is playing with a small computer-like learning toy. It helps kids learn to read, to count, learn colours, all through games and songs.

"Hey, Jen? What do you think about this?"

JJ walks over and looks at it. She nods. "Not a bad idea. He's got a year until he starts preschool. Wouldn't be a bad idea to start his nerdling training early."

Emily smiles. "Oh, honey, that's already started."

JJ laughs. "True. And look: one of the learning games is based on Cars. He'll definitely use that one."

"So, get the pad and the Cars game. How about the Pooh one, too?"

JJ nods. "Okay. And as he outgrows it Rocky can use it."

Emily smiles at her wife. "Rocky and the future little nerdlings, too."

JJ's smile widens. "Yes, all the future nerdlings, too."

Henry is staring at his mothers. "That toy?"

Emily squats down and shows it to him. "Actually this is to help you learn neat things. You can still choose a toy, Champ."

He smiles. "'Kay, Mama."

When they leave the store 30 minutes later they have the new learning tablet as well as a stuffed Lightening McQueen for Henry and a stuffed dog that looks like Alaska for Rocky. JJ takes a look at her watch.

"You know," she whispers to Emily, "if we have a sundae or something now they won't eat dinner."

"Jennifer, would it be so terrible if one night they had ice cream for dinner? And maybe a healthy snack later instead of a full meal?"

"No, I guess not. You're a terrible influence and if Francesca gets mad at us I'll make sure she knows it was your fault."

Emily laughs. "She'll probably already suspect that."

Soon they are sitting at a table in the middle of the food court. Emily feeds a spoonful of strawberry ice cream to Rocky. The little girl smiles and claps her hands.

"You like that, do you?" Emily asks with a grin. "Good." She looks over and sees JJ helping Henry get a small spoonful of ice cream instead of the humongous glob he had initially picked up.

JJ notices her wife's scrutiny and frowns. "What?"

Emily smiles and shakes her head. "Just…loving this day. It's just been a wonderful day."

JJ nods. "Yes, it has. I'm glad we took the time to just be a family. I think we needed this especially after that last case."

"Yeah, we did. I love you, Jen."

"I love you, too."

"MA!"

Emily turns and sees Rocky reaching impatiently towards the ice cream. "Oops! Sorry, Rock. Getting mushy with Mommy."

JJ laughs as Emily gives their daughter another bite of ice cream. Once the treats are finished and the kids cleaned up, JJ looks at Henry.

"So, ready for a ride before going home?"

He nods. "Hellochopper?"

Emily smiles, not having heard that misnomer yet. JJ nods.

"Yes, you can ride the helicopter. What do you think Rocky should ride?"

"Horsey!"

JJ nods. "Horsey it is. Let's go."

He hops up and takes her hand. JJ walks with him towards the rides as Emily pushes Rocky in the stroller. Once they get there Henry quickly climbs up in the helicopter ride.

"So, where are you flying to, Captain Henry?" Emily asks.

"See Gwan and Pop!"

JJ laughs. "Well, I'm sure they will be happy to see you."

She pulls out her phone and starts to film as he "flies" to see his grandparents in Pennsylvania. She pans around and films as Rocky squeals in happiness as Emily holds her on the horse ride for babies. It doesn't rock as much as the one for the older kids but the little one is still thrilled with her ride.

When the rides end, the Prentiss women get their kids back in the stroller for the walk back out to their car. By the time they get there Rocky is asleep and Henry isn't far off. By the time they get home, JJ is the only one awake in the car. She can't help but laugh.

"This must be what Emily feels like when I ride in her Lexus," she mumbles to herself.

All in all, it had been a wonderful day for the family of 4.


	10. Chapter 10

Sunday morning the Prentiss foursome goes to church. Emily dresses Rocky in the new cute little blue dress with lacy trimmed ankle socks and black patent leather shoes. When JJ sees their daughter she grins.

"Yes, Mrs. Prentiss, you've turned into a girly-girl."

Emily rolls her eyes. "Oh, hush."

JJ's giggles follow her down the stairs. After the service, they mingle with members of the congregation. An older widow smiles and tickles Rocky's chin.

"Emily, she is getting so big! And she looks more and more like you each time I see her."

Emily smiles proudly. "Yeah? She does?"

"Definitely. Well, except the eyes. Those look like your wife's. You obviously chose a donor quite well."

Emily nods. "I think he was the perfect choice for many reasons."

"Is she walking yet?"

"She's pulling herself up, hence the chin scar, and tottering a bit but no real steps just yet. We figure any day now she'll start for real but mostly she crawls to keep up with Henry."

The woman laughs. "Yes, I remember my youngest actually learned to walk before crawling. She was tagging along after her brothers practically from birth."

Emily nods. "Yes, I think any others we have will probably be the same way. Hopefully they'll share that bond their whole lives."

The woman pats Emily on the arm. "Raise them right and they will, Emily."

Emily smiles. "We'll do our best, Mrs. Nettles."

"Considering what you two see every day I'm sure you will." She glances around. "I'm not sure if all the others know but, well, I caught a glimpse of Jennifer on the news about those horrible people in New York. If you all were part of the team that took those cretins down let me thank you on behalf of the world."

Emily nods. "We were a small part of a nationwide collaborative effort."

"Then I send my thanks to everyone. And I will continue to keep you, Jennifer and your team in my nightly prayers."

Emily is touched. "Thank you, Mrs. Nettles. That means so much to me."

Outside at the play area, JJ is watching Henry play trucks with a couple of other children and having a similar conversation with a couple she and Emily had gone to dinner with a few times. Sally Versyp shakes her head.

"I just…maybe I'm a horrible wimp but I just don't know how you two do it. I mean, going after regular psycho's is one thing but from what I read in the papers and online those creatures were…oh, I just can't imagine staring them down."

JJ nods. "It's not hard to stare them down. It's hard to remember the oath and not resort to vigilante justice."

Gene Versyp nods. "I imagine it is. To hurt kids…jail is too good for those…well, I guess I shouldn't say that word at church."

JJ laughs. "Probably not but I think I know the one you mean. It was a really hard case for everyone involved but a lot of horrible people are in jail so I think I can speak for everyone when I say the headaches, lost sleep and bumps and bruises were worth it."

"Well, just so you know, Mrs. Nettles saw you in a news report and put out a call to the prayer chain. You had all of the church behind you up there."

JJ is extremely touched. "Wow, I had no idea! I'll have to thank her. And let me thank you. Prayers and good thoughts are always appreciated." She glances at her watch and looks over at Henry. "He's having so much fun but we need to head home. We actually head out tomorrow morning for another case."

Sally shakes her head. "Just don't know how you all do it. Well, wherever you go, know our prayers follow you."

"Thanks, Sally. Hopefully we'll see you next week."

Gene smiles. "How about dinner next Saturday night if you're back in town? We haven't had a night out with adults in over a month. I'm not sure I remember how to order off something other than the kids menu."

JJ grins. "I understand that. If we're in town I'll give you a call."

"Perfect."

JJ says goodbye and walks over to her son. "So, Little Man, you ready to head home?"

"No, Mommy. Playing."

"I see that. But it's time for us all to go home."

He throws himself to the ground. JJ sighs…another Terrible Two Tantrum is about to erupt.

"Don't let me get to three," she warns. "Get up so we can go home. One. Two. Thre- -"

He scrambles to his feet at the last possible second. His face is contorted into a horrible scowl. She holds out her hand but he crosses his arms.

"No!"

He stomps ahead of her back towards the church. JJ can't help but smile.

"Gotta love the Terrible Two's," she says to the Versyp's, who have three children age 2-6 and completely understand. "Talk to you later this week."

She gets inside and sees Emily squatting down, listening to Henry.

"Mommy mean. Need time out. Bad Mommy."

"Oh? And why does Mommy need a time out?"

"Playing, Mama!"

Emily is confused. "She was playing?"

"No! Henry playing! Mommy say go!"

And the brunette gets it. "Ah, I see. So you were playing and Mommy said it was time to go?" Henry nods. "Well, she's right. We need to go home and then we can play at home. Won't that be fun?"

Henry sighs. His mother's just don't get it sometimes. "Fine. Go home." He turns and starts to walk away.

Emily reaches out and stops him. "Hey, wait a second, Champ." He stops and turns around. "What's wrong?" He just shrugs. "Maybe we can call Skippy Jones and see if he can come over to play. Would that be fun?" He shakes his head. Emily glances up at her wife. What is going on with their son and his best friend? JJ shrugs, answering the silent question. Emily looks back at Henry. "How about we go home and watch Cars?"

Henry slowly looks up. "Cars? And popcorn?"

Emily smiles. "Sure, we can have popcorn."

Henry smiles, his mood of a split second before forgotten. "'Kay, Mama." He turns and takes JJ's hand. "Home, Mommy. Watch Cars."

JJ just grins. "Sure, Henry. Good idea."

When they get home, Emily takes the kids upstairs to get them changed out of their church clothes. JJ puts some popcorn in the microwave and calls over to the Jones house. Skippy's mother answers.

"Hey, Marty, it's Jennifer Prentiss."

"Hi, Jennifer. Calling to see if Skippy can come over?"

"Well, that had been the idea earlier but then Henry got all upset. Is everything okay between them?"

Marty is surprised. "Uh, as far as I know. Hold on a second." She calls to her son. "Skippy, do you know why Henry is upset?"

The little boy shrugs. "I winned."

"You won? What did you win?" Marty asks.

"Mater."

"Mater? What's Mater?"

JJ rolls her eyes. "Marty, Mater is the tow truck in Cars." She walks into the playroom and starts to go through Henry's toys. "And I can't find Henry's Mater toy truck."

"Oh, good grief. Skippy, where is Henry's toy?"

"Mommy, I winned it!"

"How in the world did you win it?"

"Raced."

JJ starts to chuckle. "Two and three year olds racing for pink slips. We could be in trouble, Marty."

Marty laughs. "You got that right. Look, let me find it and we'll bring it over to you."

"Thanks, Marty. And maybe we can sit the boys down and talk about racing for toys. Maybe if we start early teaching them gambling is bad they'll listen."

"We can only hope. See you in a little while."

"Thanks, Marty." JJ hangs up, still chuckling over the kids betting for toys. "Yep, we are in so much trouble when those two are teenagers."

When Emily and the kids come down a few minutes later, JJ squats down to Henry's level.

"I talked to Mrs. Jones, Henry. She's bringing Mater back to you."

He smiles happily. "Mater! Yay!"

"But, young man, no more betting at the playground or you won't get your toys back. Understood?"

He nods happily. "Si, Mama. Understand."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Betting? Seriously?"

"Yep."

Emily shakes her head. "Ci sono così tanti problemi," she mutters.*

JJ laughs. "Not sure exactly what you said but I can probably agree with it."

Emily just nods. Soon, the four of them are in the living room watching Cars while Henry eagerly awaits the return of his Mater.

* * *

That evening, Emily is making dinner when her work phone rings. She frowns. "There's no way he needs us out there before tomorrow," she mutters. She grabs it. "Hey, Hotch."

"Good news: no case tomorrow."

Emily is surprised. "Gee, did you two put us all to shame by solving it without us?"

Hotch laughs. "Not exactly. Killer's car broke down while he was dumping a body. Good Samaritan called it in and a state trooper was dispatched to see if assistance was needed. When he pulled up the guy took off running. Trooper knew something was up, called in back-up, and secured the car, which still had the body in it. Search parties found the killer and look through his house found his souvenir stash in a room that was set up as a shrine to his kills."

"Damn! Why don't we ever get that lucky when the whole team goes?"

"No idea. Since so many bodies are listed in the room and two more counties that we weren't aware of on his walls Reid and I are going to stay out here to help coordinate everything. May be Wednesday until we get back."

"Okay. Want me to call the rest of the team?"

"Already done. You two were the last on my list."

"Ouch."

"I saved the best for last," he says quickly.

Emily laughs. "Good cover, bossman. If you all need any help with anything back this way, let me know."

"Will do. See you all sometime next week."

"Bye, Hotch."

"Hotch?" JJ asks, walking into the kitchen with the kids.

"No case tomorrow. Will explain later."

JJ does her victory stance. "Score!"

Henry laughs. "Mommy silly."

Rocky claps and giggles, obviously agreeing with her brother.

* * *

That night, JJ is in the private office going over some of the legal papers for the now established Amy Jareau Foundation. She had never even considered how much goes into setting up a charity and the various forms and agencies you have to deal with to keep it legitimate. She glances over at the calendar on the wall. Gerald is going to be in town next week for some meetings.

"Maybe he can help me make heads and tails of all this legal bullshit," she mutters.

She sets the legal papers aside and starts to read over the mission statement. She smiles at the carefully worded paragraph:

_The Amy Jareau Foundation is committed to helping families get back on their feet in the aftermath of crime. Donations of plane tickets, spending cash, and even start up funds will be made available on an as-needed basis at the discretion of the chairwoman of the organization, Jennifer Jareau Prentiss. Established in memory of her late sister, this fund will be carried forth in the same spirit of love and understanding her family benefited from in the aftermath of their loss. Everyone deserves a second chance. The Amy Jareau Foundation will strive to give that chance to as many as possible._

She sets the papers down and looks over at a picture on the wall: her, Amy and Mark at some family picnic of some sort.

"I hope you approve, Amy."

"I'm sure she does," Emily says quietly.

JJ turns, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I didn't hear you come in."

Emily walks over and takes her wife's hands. "You were busy."

"Yeah. I still have some questions for Gerald but I think it's about ready to launch. Thank you for this, Emily. I know it was kind of a spur of the moment thing you did but thank you for letting it be more than that."

Emily smiles. "No need to thank me, Jen."

JJ stands and pulls her wife into a deep, passionate kiss. She runs her hands up under the taller woman's shirt, kneading the beautiful breasts below. When the kiss ends, Emily is swaying on her feet.

"Of course…if you really _want_ to thank me who the hell am I to argue?" Emily whispers.

JJ lifts Emily's shirt off and immediately starts to kiss and suck her wife's hard nipples. Emily's legs get weak as she gets wet, her clit starting to throb.

"Oh, Jen," she breathes, her fingers curling into golden locks. "Oh, baby, feels so good."

JJ brings her mouth away from Emily's chest. "Please, Emily, please make love to me with the strap on," she pleads with a whisper. "Please."

Emily caresses her wife's cheeks, staring into cobalt eyes. "Anything, anytime, my love."

Emily slowly undresses her wife, worshipping each bit of skin as it is exposed. On her knees to help JJ step out of her shorts, Emily kisses around JJ's knees, sensitive areas that always make JJ whimper.

"Em…please…oh, baby, hurry please…"

Emily stands, pushing her shorts down as JJ backs up and lies down on the bed. As Emily retrieves her harness she stares at the iconic beauty on the bed. JJ's skin has a sheen of sweat upon it. Her nipples stand up tall upon her breasts. Her eyes have darkened even more in anticipation of what is to come.

"You are so beautiful, Jennifer. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever known."

Emily approaches the bed. JJ suddenly sits up and grabs her wife by the waist, stopping her.

"Jen? What's…oh, shit…"

JJ has engulfed the dildo with her mouth. Emily's legs nearly give out as her wife gives her a blow job.

"Oh, fuck, Jen…oh, fuck…"

JJ's work pushes it against Emily's throbbing clit. Emily's hips start to pump. "Oh…oh….OH! OH! JEN! YES!"

Emily is shocked when JJ's actions get her to come. JJ slides back on the bed, her breathing erratic.

"Em…please…in me…"

Emily quickly crawls onto the bed. JJ reaches out and guides her wife inside.

"Deep, baby…take me deep," JJ commands.

Emily groans and thrusts in deep.

"YES!" JJ screams as she arches up to meet her wife's hips.

Emily can only grunt as she pounds into her wife. Her mind is so lost in the lust, so lost in the passion she is on automatic pilot, flying herself and her wife to a glorious climax.

"Oh, Em! OH! Oh, YES! Oh, EM! EM! EMILY! YES!"

"JEN!"

They come as one, each going into convulsive thrusts that further extend the pleasure. Finally Emily can take it no longer and pulls out and rolls off her wife. They lay there panting for a few minutes. Emily finally rolls to her side and rubs JJ's stomach.

"I…I'm sorry. I was…I just…I was…"

"Stop. No apologies. That was fucking incredible, Emily."

"But I've never been that…that blinded by lust before. I was out of control."

JJ smiles and pulls her wife close. "It's okay to let go, baby. I am very, very okay. I swear."

Emily smiles and kisses her. "That…blow job thing…"

JJ shrugs. "I just wanted to claim you that way."

"I would have never thought that could be as hot as it was. I love it when you surprise me with something I've never experienced before."

"I hope we keep experiencing new things together. Never did that with anyone before."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Not with…anyone? Like, man or woman?"

"Nope. Only you, Emily Prentiss. Only you."

Emily feels her clit grow hard again with that revelation. JJ sees her wife's eyes darken. She smiles and rolls Emily onto her back. Emily groans, seeing what JJ has planned. As JJ slowly impales herself on the toy she bites her lip at the pleasure that it gives her. Once seated, she starts to roll her hips.

"Oh, yeah, Jen," Emily whispers as she grabs her wife's hips and helps steady her pace.

It doesn't take long before both they feel their second orgasm of the night approaching. Just when it is inevitable, JJ looks down and meets her wife's eyes.

"Mine," she says as she drops over and bites the brand on Emily's chest.

"YES! OH, YES!" Emily screams as she is rocked by her second orgasm.

JJ, pushed over by Emily's reaction, follows her wife into bliss. She slides off the strap on and just lies on top of her wife. Emily runs her hands lazily up and down her wife's back.

"I love you, Jen," she says softly.

JJ kisses her wife's jaw. "I love you, too, Emily."

They lie there for almost half an hour just enjoying being close. Eventually they get up to get ready for bed. When Emily turns off the light and cuddles up to her wife, she feels JJ has come to bed…packing. Emily raises an amused eyebrow.

"A little horny tonight, baby?"

"Just want to give you the same pleasure you gave me."

Emily rolls to her back. "Well then…pleasure away."

JJ quickly settles between her wife's legs. Soon, she is indeed pleasuring her wife…and being pleasured in return. This continues long into the night.

The next day they would be infinitely thankful for coffee!

* * *

**Per Babylon Translator:**

*** We are in so much trouble.**


	11. Chapter 11

The month of August drones through with ridiculously hot, muggy days in D.C. and cases that kept them in the southern states, even after Garcia was threatened with removal of all her PCU's if the team didn't get sent to a cooler location.

As the last week of August comes to a close, the team is walking back into the office after a difficult case in Biloxi, MS. Morgan's arm is in a sling due to a dislocated shoulder thanks to the unsub. Emily sets his briefcase on his desk.

"You sure you don't need a ride home? Or, hell, Morgan, you can stay with us if you need to."

He gives her a small smile. "I'll be okay, Em. Promise."

"The only promise I want is that you'll call if you need anything. I don't care the time."

He nods. "You got it."

Emily nods and turns to leave.

"Em?" She turns back to him. "Thanks again. If you hadn't shown up when you did…"

Emily shrugs. "Just watching your back, partner. Sorry I got there too late to prevent the injury."

"Hey, at least you got there before he dropped that brick on my head."

"True. Would have been a shame to hurt that brick."

His laughter follows her as she walks away. Yep…he'd set himself up for that one. Just as Emily drops down into her chair she gets a text alert. She pulls out her phone and reads:

_"Bathroom. Now. HURRY!"_

Emily's heart starts to pound at the ominous message from her wife. She leaps up and races towards the doors of the bullpen.

"Emily?" Reid calls after her in concern.

Emily ignores him and just barely avoids knocking an intern to the ground as she runs down the hall. She explodes into the bathroom.

"JEN?!"

JJ is standing at the sink, a look of shock on her face. Emily grabs her hands.

"Jen, what the hell? What's wrong?"

JJ swallows. "It's the right time."

Emily is confused as hell. "What?"

JJ gestures to the small, shaving kit-like pack on the sinks. "I felt…something. I don't really know what but I suddenly felt like I should check and…" she finally smiles, "…according to everything, it's the right time."

Emily looks from her wife, to the kit and back again. Her face breaks into a beaming smile. "Seriously? Like, really? But Rocky's birthday is still a couple weeks away?"

JJ shrugs. "And we know it may not work the first time but, well, what do you want to do?"

Emily is so excited she wants to scream "GET INSEMINATED!" but she knows she has to maintain a least a little calm. She takes a deep breath.

"A week or two won't make a difference in my opinion. If you're ready, let's call Dr. Manton. If you're not we wait a month. Whatever is right for you, baby."

"Really?"

Emily nods. "Really."

JJ pulls her into a hug. "Good. Because I already called and I go in tomorrow morning."

"WOOHOO!" Emily lifts her up and spins her around.

JJ giggles. Once back down on the ground, JJ looks into Emily's eyes. "I take it that means you're happy about this?"

"Oh, Jen, I couldn't be happier if I tried. Let's go tell Hotch you need a sick day tomorrow. Hell, take tomorrow and Friday. Oh, God, Jen, I am so excited. I mean, I know the stats and it may not take the first time but, shit, I am so excited!"

The women hug once more then go together to see Hotch. He looks up as they walk in. He sits back in his chair, their smiles infectious.

"Why do I have a feeling you need a day off, JJ?" he asks.

"Actually, tomorrow and Friday since I'll have to stay in bed for 24 hours."

"I just need the morning, Hotch," Emily adds. "I can come in after I get Jen settled at the house."

He nods. "Take your time getting her settled, Prentiss. And if she needs you to stick around, let me know. Good luck, ladies."

"Thanks, Hotch," JJ says.

"Oh, and you know, Aaron is a great name for a kid," he points out.

JJ nods. 'True. But why would we want to name our child after Straus?" she asks innocently.

He starts to laugh. "A-a-r-o-n not E-r-i-n."

JJ winks. "Ah, my bad."

He rolls his eyes. "Get out before I change my mind."

The two women head back to their desks. Reid looks at them, very worried.

"Everything okay? Emily, you ran out of here so fast? Are you two okay?"

JJ smiles. "Better than okay. We'll tell you more later, Spence. Promise."

He looks from her to Emily. The happiness and pride in her eyes is obvious. He grins.

"You mean…"

"Yep."

"Tomorrow."

"Ah huh," she says with a nod.

"14?"

"Yeah."

"Then 10?"

"You got it?"

"Two?"

"Four."

"Awesome."

JJ had watched the interaction and just starts to laugh. "You two are so freaking cute, my nerdlings. In just a few words you've had an entire conversation."

"Sometimes less is more," Emily says with a proud grin.

Reid just nods. "Right. I'll be crossing my fingers for you two. I can't wait to be an uncle again. Turns out I'm kind of good at it."

"More than 'kind of good', Spence," JJ says. "You're a great uncle. But keep in mind the first time it may not work."

"True. But since you've had Henry already and it's been less than 5 years since that pregnancy your chances for first time insemination success go up exponentially."

JJ and Emily both laugh. "Spence, I hope you never change," JJ says sincerely.

* * *

The next morning, Emily has an arm around JJ's shoulder and the other is in the blonde's iron grip. She kisses her temple.

"Easy, Jennifer. Just relax, sweetheart," she says with a calm that belies the butterflies swarming in her stomach.

Emily is watching the view screen as Dr. Kendle Manton carefully implants four embryos. As the last one is set, Emily kisses JJ's temple again.

"There, baby, four little nesters."

JJ grunts a small laugh. "Nesters? Is that a technical term?"

"Sure. Trust me: I went to Yale."

Kendle chuckles. "Yale, maybe. Technical term? Not so much."

The Prentiss women smile.

Kendle slides her gloves off and throws them in the biohazards tub. "Okay, I know you've done this before with Emily but we'll still run it down. Stay in bed the next 24 hours. For two weeks no sex, no hot tub. God knows your job scares the crap out of me but try not to get hit or knocked down. I know Rocky made it through a couple rough knocks okay but let's not tempt the Fates again, okay?"

JJ nods. "Got it, Dr. Manton. If I can, I'll see if I can work any cases the next couple weeks from Quantico."

"Excellent. Let's work to bring the next little Prentiss into the world without all the issues of the first, okay? My blood pressure can't take it."

Emily laughs. "Yeah, tell me about it, Doc."

"Well, you two have my office and cell numbers. Don't hesitate to call especially if anything comes up case-wise that gives you cause for concern."

"Thanks, Doc. We really appreciate the extra care," Emily says.

"And thanks again for running all the tests," JJ adds. "I know you said they weren't necessary and they proved not to be but they made me feel safer and calmer about the process."

"I'm glad then. I'll let you two get straightened up. I'll see you in two weeks."

"You got it, Doc," Emily agrees.

Once they are alone, Emily looks at her wife. "You okay?"

"Nervous as hell but otherwise okay." She pulls Emily close. "I want to this to work for us, Emily. I am so ready to be pregnant again."

"I'm just looking forward to being by your side the whole time. You'll never walk through any part of this alone, Jennifer. Even if I am out of town I am at your beck and call the whole pregnancy," she vows.

JJ smiles. "I know, sweetheart. I know."

* * *

After getting JJ home and settled into bed, Emily drives to the office. She gets off the elevator and sees her entire team standing in the middle of the bullpen. She frowns. A case, maybe? Shit. She pushes through the glass doors.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

Garcia grabs her. "You should know! How'd it go? Is she okay? Is the baby okay? Is everything good?"

Emily laughs. "Jen is fine. It was a perfect appointment. Now we wait for 2 weeks to see if it worked or not." She points at Reid, stopping his stat rattle. "Don't. I can't hear them right now if I want to be able to concentrate on work."

He grins and shuts him mouth. "Right. I'll have them when you need them."

She smiles. "Thanks, handsome."

With Emily's assurance that everything is fine, the team heads back to their desks to try to make it through Thursday. But everyone's mind is on the potential little BAU member to be.

* * *

Friday morning Garcia walks into the bullpen. She winces as she looks at Emily.

"I am soooooo sorry, Em."

Emily sighs. "Case?"

"Yeah. Winslow, Arkansas. Serial rapist escalating in Devils Den State Park."

Emily shakes her head. "Thanks for the head's up. Tell Hotch I have to call Jen and let her know. Start the briefing without me if you need to."

"Right. Sorry again, Em."

"Not your fault, Pen."

Emily stares at the phone on her desk. Just that morning she had promised to wait on her wife all weekend. She lifts up the phone…time to break that promise.

* * *

**A/N: Biiiiig presentation due for work this week and a wedding on Saturday so won't be posting the next story until probably Sunday. Sorry! Y'all rock!**


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